The Survivors Speak

186 • Truth & Reconciliation Commission
Jennie Thomas recalled a teacher at one of the schools she attended in British Columbia
who encouraged her to read.
There was a whole set of those, I don’t know, Spot
and Jane books, and then little blue books that went
up from there—read all of those books, went down
to the grade-level books, read all of those; and then,
there was, I think, there was a yellow colour, too.
So, these are really old books, and they’re school
books. And I remember reading through all of
those, and that’s what kept me going. I don’t know
if those books are still around, but that just came
back to me. And that was really … I guess that’s
what kept me sane. 682
Shirley Ida Moore had positive memories of a Jennie Thomas.
supervisor named Mrs. Saunders at the Norway House
school. “She made these chocolate, Easter-nest type things. She took us down to the
kitchen and she, we made them. That was my, my, my one food I liked.” 683
Geraldine Shingoose had positive memories of the Lestock school principal. “But one
of the things I wanted to share about Father Desjarlais was that I really, I really liked him.
He was, he treated us good. He was, he was the principal of the school and that, and I know
that he, he meant it in his heart to take care of, of the kids, just the staff that were working
there didn’t.” 684
Jeanne Rioux found the Edmonton school to be a respite from an unpleasant family
situation.
My mother didn’t really seem to know how to show affection physically at all so
there’s a kind of cold atmosphere and my father was absent a lot and he was working.
I mean I sort of understand that was necessary because there were so many of us
and, but it was not really the most loving circumstance so anyway that’s just kind of
a bit of a framework. I went to … I was sent to boarding school when I was fourteen.
And that was 100 miles away from where we lived. I lived in Red Deer at the time. And
I was sent to boarding school in Edmonton and for me that was a pleasure to be in
boarding school. There were a lot of people in the school that were trying to run away
constantly but I was happy to be there because it was less hurting and less anger and
yeah. 685
Martha Minoose had strong memories of the friendships she formed with some girls
at the Roman Catholic school in Cardston. Like many others, she described her friends as
her residential school ‘family.’
I had three friends, they were my best friends and I was the fourth one and we hang
around together. We became so close. I think we took each other as a family. We were
so close so one day we said let’s really try our best so we won’t get punished so we