Samantha S.

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island Provincial Heritage Fair

The Residential School System

My project is about how the children in residential schools were treated.It is also about how the schools were run and what happened in the schools that nobody knew about at the time.

 

 

What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?

The most interesting thing that I learned about my topic was that the death rate for the children at the schools was much higher then the rate for other Canadian children. I also learned that there was 130 residential schools located across Canada. Another thing that I found interesting was that the last of these schools only closed in 1996, which wasn't that long ago.

What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?

Some important lessons that I learned are to not take things for granted. I also learned that if it wasn't for the school inspectors, the Residential Schools would be the schools that all Canadian Indigenous children would still be attending. Another lesson that I learned was that I should consider myself lucky to be at the school that I am at, and to be still living with my family and not be taken away from my home just to attend that type of school.

How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?

I think that my life is better than their life because I go to a school where I will not get beaten if I speak my own language. I can choose on my own if I want to attend a class where I will speak a different language. For children my age, education is more important than work. I will also be able to go home after school and see my family and friends instead of needing to stay at school and work.