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According to the residential school survivor, christianity was forced upon the indigenous children: “A part of the weekly routine at the Anglican residential school I attended was participation in religious activities”.

The residential school survivor said, “A part of the weekly routine at the Anglican residential school I attended was participation in religious activities”.

According to the residential school survivor, they were often forced to do religious activities, stating that it was “a part of the weekly routine”.

The residential school survivor stated that a part of their “weekly routine” was “participation in religious activities”.

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In her testimony, "WHY I DON'T LIKE TO KNEEL." They describe the physical trauma they experienced at St Anne's Indian Residential School. "My hands would get soft in the water and would always get scraped on the floor, which hurt even more." This demonstrates the pain felt even simple actions caused them. In addition, the survivor recalls how uncomfortable they felt: "I remember how sore they used to get, and all of this was done on my knees."

Their hands are "scraped" and their knees are "sore" as a result of their labor, according to the evidence. The fact that they state, "my hands...always got scraped on the floor," illustrates how challenging the tasks were. Their physical suffering left them emotionally scarred for a long time.

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1. In his testimony, the residential school survivor talked about his daily routine: ‘’Everyday we had to make the beds, put the clothes away and clean up the washroom’’.

2. In their testimony, a residential school survivor said, ‘’A part of the weekly routine at the Anglican residential school I attended was participation in religious activities'’.

3. When the residential school survivor arrived at the school, he had a ‘’difficult time getting used to the daily routines’’.

4. The residential school survivor recalls the routine from his old school and how ‘’every aspect'' of his life ''was controlled by some routine’’.

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In the “Why I don’t like to kneel” testimony, this young indigenous residential school survivor endured excessive and traumatic labour: “I was on my hands and knees for so long it felt like I had been praying in church for a week”. Additionally, they also said, “What I remember the most is that every Saturday morning I was on my hands and knees scrubbing floors along with several other students”. Moreover, the residential school student mentioned how after scrubbing and cleaning the floors their “hands would also hurt because they would get soft in the water and they also got scraped on the floor or the brush”.

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In “My little numbered shoes” testimony, the old student explains how the aboriginal children were forced to abandon their way of living their beautiful lives by adopting a more rigid way of living. This excerpt shows how the strict routines at residential schools took away the children’s freedom. The child in the story describes how he felt like a machine, forced to follow rules with no space to be himself. At the beginning of his testimony, he explains: "At home we really did not follow a routine," which shows the difference there was between the way he lived his life with his community compared to the strict system at the school. The way he talks about "numbered clothing" and "numbered shoes" makes it clear that he felt like just another number, not a person. He goes further by declaring how "every aspect of our life was controlled by some routine," which shows how everything was set out for him, thus leaving him no autonomy. Even bedtime was marked by obligation, as he had to “kneel, as did the other boys, and say prayers” which shows how he had no control over any part of his day.

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I felt uneasy while reading the excerpt titled PRAYERS. When the residential school survivor recalled the amount of times they had to “say [their] prayers,” it created an eerie feeling. They wrote this text in a way where the reader could feel the monotonous repetition of their everyday life: “We had to attend mass at the church every Saturday evening and Sunday morning.” The cult-like vibes are further accentuated when they add, “Every spring, several of the boys and girls participated in a ceremony called "First Communion".” No child at this school was exempted from the imposition of Catholicism since they were forced to “participate in religious activities.”

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In the “Bed Time” testimony, the survivor talks about their bed time routine in the residential schools.

In the testimony, the residential school survivor explains how everything at the school had a routine, “there was a routine for everything”.

The residential school survivor explains how he “was nine years old” when he arrived  and how he stayed “there for four years”.

In the testimony, the residential school survivor explains their bedtime routine, “changed into our pijamas, folded our clothes[...], brushed our teeth, washed our hands and face[...], said our prayers and got into bed”.

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Most of the situations that the students had to face in the residential schools were very dangerous and depressing, having to deal with violence, starvation, harassment and so on, and these testimonies properly put that into perspective. However, in the excerpt titled "The Horses Were Nice", we feel a sense of comfort knowing that there was some sort of enjoyment for the survivor during their time in the school, as they say, "I liked my chores, and I worked very hard at them." The survivor enjoyed their chores because they were able to "go outside and into the bush" and by doing so, they "avoided going to classes."

Additionally, knowing that there was a nice man with the kids reassures us : "The man I worked with was very nice [...] cutting wood with him.", this proves that not all the adults at the school were violent and mean towards the students. This man even allowed the survivor to interact with animals and nature, he let them "drive the horses now and then and let me feed them.", assuring they stay in touch with natural life.

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I chose the excerpt called “Why I Don’t Like to Kneel”. I felt that it embodied the severe mistreatment that Residential School children lived through. The excerpt explains how the kids were forced to wash the floors every Saturday with coarse brushes and heavy disinfectants. The children would often get hurt doing so. As the author of the testimony states, “All of this was done on my knees and I remember how sore they used to get”. What struck me the most was the fact that the children were forced to continue even when they cut themselves : “[The author’s] hands would also get hurt because [...] they always scraped on the floor or the brush”. Once their hands had been cut, the children had to soak them again in the bucket of “hot water with the disinfectant”, which would make them “sting”. I found this excerpt to be a shocking example of the abuse suffered by the children in Residential Schools.

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Bed-Time testimony:

1) In one of the student’s testimonies, the student says there is a routine for everything he has to do: “One of the things that I remember about the school was that there was a routine for everything.”

2) In one of the students' testimonies, the student says, “One of the things that I remember about the school was that there was a routine for everything.”

3) In one of the student’s testimonies, one of the things he remembers is that there was “a routine for everything.”

4) In one of the student’s testimonies, “one of the things” he remembers about the school was “that there was a routine for everything.”

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The residential school survivor's testimony called "Why I don't like to kneel" shares the harsh and painful experiences at St Anne's Indian Residential School. The kid recalls the pain, stating "All of this was done on my knees and I remember how sore my knees used to get.", showing how hard the chores were on their bodies.

"What I remember most is that every Saturday morning I was on my hands and knees scrubbing floors" really emphasizes how much the survivors were emotionally marked by their traumatic experience in the residential schools.

I found this testimony shocking because even when the kids were hurt, they were forced to continue doing their chores with wounded hands.

By reading this short testimony, we can see how tiring and painful these tasks were as their hands "alwats got scraped on the floor or the brush" and they were on their hand and knees for so long that it felt like they had been "praying in church for a week".

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In the “My Little Numbered Shoes” testimony, the residential school survivor seems to highlight the conformism forced on the children, saying that “At residential school, every aspect of our life was controlled by some routine. Everything was so regimented.” This sentence puts emphasis on the monotone and robotic manner in which the survivors had to conduct their days. Furthermore, the survivor also mentions the difference between their home and the school, saying that “At home we really did not follow a routine”, which shows that the survivors were forced into this lifestyle. Throughout the text, the insistence on the specific hours of the day where the survivors had to enact their routine is extremely noticeable; the one testifying says that  “I attended classes from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. with an hour break for lunch.” , and then repeats the hours when he had to “be ready to go to bed by 9:00 p.m.”. Finally, the survivor shows that he was forced to turn to Christianity, saying that he“had to kneel, as did the other boys, and say my prayers.”

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I picked the "Why I Don't Like To Kneel" testimony because it shows the long term impact the resedential schools had on its survivors. Firstly, the residential school survivor talks about their chores at the residential school: "I remember that all the students has to do chores at the resedential school". The resedential school survivor then puts emphasis on one specific chore, cleaning floors, saying, "We would get down on our hands and knees and scrub the section of the floor that had been assignes to us with a bruch which had stiff bristles." Additionally, they explain that their hands hurt "because they would get soft in the water and they alsways got scraped by the floor or the brush". Finally, the resedential that school survivor explains that they returned "after the wax dried" and had to get back on their hands and knees to "polish it".

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In “My little numbered shoes”, I believe the old school boy does not just talk about how he has no freedom, but rather more specifically how his freedom had been stolen by the school. When he speaks of his days before the school, he is extremely vague and gives a large idea of his day, simply stating that he would get up and do chores, expressing how he had complete freedom in his days before the school. This changes greatly when he speaks of the school, giving 8 lines of explanation for the routine he had to do every day, from the moment he woke up to the moment he went to bed, with minute details such as how he puts on his “little numbered clothes" and his "little numbered shoes" every day, the specific task he was given in the morning and even the detail of his routine after doing homework: "I had to work at homework until supper time", which is a stark contrast compared to the half a line he used to define his days before he was brought to the school: "When we got up we ate and then attended our chores", which I believe shows just how restricted he felt at the school but also an underlying indicator that shows his resentfulness towards the thing that stole his freedom away from him as a child.

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During his testimony, a residential school survivor described his daily routine: "Every day, we had to make the beds, put the clothes away and clean up the washroom". Another survivor, reflecting on their experience, shared, ‘’A part of the weekly routine at the Anglican residential school I attended was participation in religious activities'’. Upon arriving at the school, one survivor recounted that he had a ‘’difficult time getting used to the daily routines’’. One survivor remembered how "every aspect" of life at the school "was dictated by some routine".

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The student reflects on their positive experience cutting wood and shares, "The man was nice, and the horses were nice," which suggests a stark contrast to their classroom experience.

The speaker describes their fondness for working outside, explaining that "the man was nice, and the horses were nice," showing that they preferred this work over attending school.

The speaker mentions how both "the man" and "the horses" were "nice," showing that this part of their experience offered some comfort.

Although the students were in a difficult situation, they found relief in the kindness of the man they worked with and the gentle presence of the horses.

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The student recalls their time at Pelican Lake School, stating, “Once a week, usually on Saturdays there were lots of chores to do.”

The student explains their responsibilities by saying, “Some of the students had to clean the washrooms while others had to scrub floors.”

They mention that every day they had to “make our beds” and “clean up the washroom.”

The student recalls that on Saturdays, they had to complete many chores, including cleaning both inside and outside, and occasionally working on the garbage crew.

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1. In his testimony, "Bed-Time", the residential school survivor talks about his arrival at the Indian Residential School: "[...] I was nine years old."

2. The residential school survivor said, "all the students had chores to do at the school."

3. For one of the survivors, as for many, the chores weren't pleasant "how sore they [knees] used to get."

4. Everyone at the school were assigned chores which most "worked very hard at them", the chores could include "cutting firewood for the school".

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The student from the Anglican residential school remembers the routine vividly: “When we went to class in the morning we started the day with the Lord’s Prayer.”   The testimony also describes their involvement in religious practices, explaining that “we had to say our prayers every day before we went to bed.”   The students were required to participate in religious ceremonies regularly, attending mass “every Saturday evening and Sunday morning” and special events like “First Communion” and “Confirmation.”   Every day, the students were expected to pray, beginning their mornings with the Lord’s Prayer and reciting other prayers like the Apostle’s Creed.

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From the testimony titled "My Little Numbered Shoes," the student speaks about their experience with the structured routines in a residential school.

This excerpt reveals the stark contrast between life at home and the rigid control experienced in residential schools. It brings up feelings of empathy and sadness, especially for the loss of freedom and individuality that these children endured. The routine, which may have been meant to instill discipline, instead seems to have stripped away personal agency. The image of the child “getting up at seven o’clock” and following a precise sequence of chores and prayers every day conveys the suffocating monotony. This strict regime likely alienated students from their cultural practices and imposed a foreign lifestyle on them.

The testimony makes me think about how such environments not only restricted freedom but also forced a certain identity on the students, often disconnecting them from their own culture and values. These routines were not just about discipline but about control, and it feels disheartening to imagine children having to "kneel and say their prayers" as part of their daily experience, rather than engaging in cultural or family-based traditions.