What Did Residential Schools Teach

     Residential school students did not receive the same education the public school students did. Unlike the public school system, the residential school system was underfunded. Girls were taught to do domestic service, laundry, sew, cook and clean. While boys were taught carpentry, tinsmith, and farming.

     Many of the children went to school part time and worked for the rest of the time. Girls did the housekeeping, and boys did general maintenance as well as agriculture. This work was unpaid, involuntary and was considered practice training for the students. However, as residential schools were underfunded, the school could not run without the students labor.
     By the age of 18, students only did up to grade 5 of the education system, after which they were sent away and discouraged to continue their education.