Linda Hordyski spent her career teaching at Bell's Point Elementary School and Senator Myles Venne School. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

farewell

Only days left for longtime elementary school teacher before retirement

Jun 19, 2024 | 5:00 PM

Retirement is on the horizon for Linda Hordyski, who has been an elementary school teacher for 27 years.

Hordyski, who is a member of Clearwater River Dene Nation, was born and raised in La Loche. During her earlier years, she spent some time living in Prince Albert and Fort McMurray, before settling in La Ronge in the late 1980s.

It wasn’t until she was in her 30s when she thought of teaching as a career option and, after encouragement from a friend who was an educator in La Loche and her experience as a Sunday School teacher, she decided to take the jump.

She enrolled into La Ronge’s Northern Education Teacher Program and obtained her Bachelor of Education degree in 1997.

“When I was teaching Sunday School at our church, I really liked being with the kids,” Hordyski explained. “I liked it, and I thought ‘maybe I can go back to school,’ so I applied.”

Hordyski began her career teaching Grade 2 at the Lac La Ronge Indian Band’s Senator Myles Venne School (SMVS). After the nearby Bell’s Point Elementary School opened in 2002, she moved there to teach Grade 4 and she remained at that location up until only two years ago. She is currently teaching Grade 5.

Hordyski noted it was a positive experience teaching at a brand new school.

“It was very nice moving over there,” she said. “When you’re a teacher, you go through a lot, but you become friends with so many. All of the years I have had, I have seen come and go so many colleagues.”

Linda Hordyski spent the majority of her career teaching at Bell’s Point Elementary School. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

While at Bell’s Point, Hordyski taught square dancing for about 15 years. She said she did so because of her fond memories of square dancing in La Loche and her love for fiddle music.

With so many years of education now behind her, Hordyski has advice she’d like to share with future teachers.

“Somedays you are tired and exhausted, but you just pick yourself up and tomorrow is another day,” she said.

“There’s lots of rewards from the children. When you have many kids who come to school and they show up, that’s a reward. When you go back and ask ‘do you remember this?’ and they give you answers, you know you have done your job for the day. Keep doing what you love to do and just keep going.”

In retirement, Hordyski has plans to spend more time with her family, as well as continue rescuing animals, which is a passion of hers. She and her husband, Joe, are also constructing a cabin at Wadin Bay and have plans to purchase a boat to do some fishing. Hordyski is also planning on spending more time out on the golf course.

As for her colleagues, she wants to thank them for all the good memories throughout the years and she wants them to know she will miss them.

“My age tells me it’s time and it’s time to start doing what I would love to do because life is short,” she said.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com