Pat Bodnar is retiring after 47 years of teaching at Osler School. The evergreen tree in the background was planted in honour of Bodnar’s mentor, Frieda Enns.

In 1976, fresh out of university, Pat Bodnar accepted a teaching contract at Osler School.

It was one of the easiest, and most rewarding, decisions she ever made. 

Forty-seven years later, the much-loved educator is making one of the hardest decisions of her life. She’s retiring, reluctantly, at the end of June; stepping away from the only school she’s ever taught at.

“I’m counting down the days; but it’s not because I’m looking forward to retirement; far from it,” said Bodnar in an interview in the school library on Tuesday, May 30. “I’m treasuring every single day I have left here with the students and staff.

“I didn’t want to retire, but I felt that it’s time. I’ve been here my whole career. This was my first job when I was 20 years old; I had some other offers at the time, but this was the one I chose, and I’m so glad I came to this school and this community. It’s such a wonderful, welcoming place.”

After nearly 50 years of teaching several generations of students, Bodnar’s circle of friends in the area is extensive.

“Pat is pretty special to Osler,” said Osler Mayor Abe Quiring. “Almost everyone in town has a connection with her somehow.

“She taught my wife Yvonne and all my wife’s siblings; and then she also taught all our children except one. When you have a teacher who’s been in the same school for all those years she’s bound to leave a lasting legacy.”

Born and raised in Wynyard, Bodnar grew up in a community where most people were predominantly of Ukrainian and Icelandic descent. Getting plunked down into an overwhelmingly Mennonite village was an education in itself.

“I didn’t know anything about the German Mennonite community at all,” she said.  “I made a few unintentional mistakes early on, like mentioning a dance, for instance. That was frowned on. But I gradually learned and people accepted me.

“I also had a great mentor by the name of Frieda Enns, who worked at the school. When Frieda retired the big evergreen tree just outside the main school doors was planted in her honour. Sadly, she passed away too soon. But everything I learned in my early years of teaching I learned from Frieda.”

Bodnar said her first classroom used to be right across the hall from the boys’ washroom.

“One day a little guy in my class stuck up his hand and asked to go to the bathroom,” said Bodnar. “So I said, ‘sure, off you go.’ And he left and a couple minutes later we could hear him singing at the top of his lungs. He was belting out a song in Low German for all he was worth.’

Bodnar said she became worried.

“I went out into the hall and hollered into the bathroom: ‘Wes, what are you doing in there?’ He said, ‘Nothing.’ I said, ‘Wes, we can hear you all over the school.’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m just being a vorsinger’ (pronounced ‘feh zenga’).

“Well, that meant nothing to me, so later in the staff room I asked Frieda, ‘What’s a vorsinger?’ And she said, ‘it’s a Low German term that means choir leader in the Mennonite Old Colony church.’ So the little guy was simply leading the church chorus, rather enthusiastically, while he was in the bathroom.”

Bodnar said while she’s taught every grade and every subject over her career, she’s most comfortable with students in Grades 4 through 6.

“I love the little ones, but the kids in Grade 4 are a little more independent, they’re fun to be around, they listen and pay attention, and they’re keen to learn,” she said. “I can get after them and they know  it’s because I love them and want them to be the best they can be.”

Bodnar said one of her most memorable classes was a Grade 2-Grade 6 split.

“That was an interesting one,” she said. “I had big boys in Grade 6 and little ones in Grade 2; all in the same room. But I had a small number of students and it worked out fine. In fact, it was actually heartwarming to see the bonds that formed between the older ones and the younger ones.

“Nobody dared to pick on those little Grade 2 kids in the schoolyard, because those Grade 6 boys were so protective of their little buddies. It was wonderful.”

Bodnar’s friend and colleague, Joanne Banman, retired last year from her role as an Educational Assistant (EA) at Osler School. Banman said Bodnar is devoted to teaching and helping the younger generation achieve their potential, not just academically, but in all facets of life.

“Pat always gave her best effort in everything she did,” said Banman. “And she expected the best from everyone else too. She would say: ‘Give me an effort, don’t give me an excuse.’

“She was always very proud of her profession, and she consistently put in extra effort to help kids who needed her guidance and encouragement.”

Bodnar said she always viewed teaching, not as a job, but as a calling. She said she intends to volunteer at the school after retirement.

“What you hear in the news is true,” said Bodnar. “Teachers are doing their best, but it’s difficult. Kids today need a lot of help. I can sit beside a little one who needs help in math or listen to them read. If I can help, I will.”

  On June 29, the community is gathering at Osler School to give Bodnar a special retirement send-off.

The school gym on that occasion will be packed; just as it was for all the legendary Osler School Musicals that Bodnar and the rest of the school staff organized over the past 25 years. (Bodnar modestly plays down her role in those productions, but there’s no denying her contribution, since she was in charge of the music, and a stage musical without any music might strike the audience as unusually quiet, perhaps.)

The musicals provided a role for every student from Grade 1 to Grade 8, whether it was in the starring role, behind the scenes, or in the back row of the chorus, creating a sense of community within the school. Posters for every musical production, beginning with the very first one for ‘The Sound of Music’ in 1997, adorn the walls of the school library.

“Everybody was involved in those productions,” she said. “It was like an old one-room schoolhouse Christmas concert on a bigger scale. And I’m hoping that tradition continues. We have some very creative teachers and staff at the school who can make it work.”