Ch. 5 and Ch 6

Chapter 5 started out talking about the religion aspect of Haskell.  All the students were forced to do religious activities. Many of the students thought of the activities as a way to hang out with their peers and didn’t really take it serious. The book says some blended their traditional beliefs with the teachings they received at school which became members of the Native American Church.  The Students were taught to love the American flag and be genuine patriotic. In 1920 the flag pledge was used in public schools. They also celebrated all the nation holidays.  Haskell was known for their extracurricular activities, such as athletic teams, band, orchestra and choir. The schools social events were a big attraction. They would have dances, band concerts, socials, and parties. All the activities were very well supervised, because the teachers feared that the girls might get pregnant. The Haskell football teams were power houses. They beat the best teams in the west in the early 1900s. They defeated Kansas University, Missouri University, Nebraska University, and Washington University. The athletes were expected to keep up with their academics and industrial trainings. In order to keep the boys in good academic standings, the girls would help them with their assignments. The sports brought a sense of pride to the school as well to the students.  Chapter 6 talked about the school being overcrowded and a lot of students became ill. The toilets didn’t always work properly, soap wasn’t always available and students were only able to bath once a week. The children were over worked and their diet lacked vegetables and fruits. I enjoyed reading this book, it had its ups and downs but I have a better outlook on Haskell the school now that I read this book. I am still on the fence about boarding schools, one minute I feel that boarding schools were fine, and then the next minute I am against them.  I feel I know more about boarding schools now than I ever did.