Sharon Bischoff is a Regional School Nurse for the Nurse Corps in the Specialized Services Birth – 21 department. She works in the Washougal School District.
How long have you worked for ESD 112 and what does your job entail?
I began as a 1:1 nurse in special services in a behavioral room. I continued to work in as a 1:1 nurse in a developmental pre-school in the afternoons with a 1:1 student that had learning and behavioral difficulties. The next year I worked in the School Nurse corps in the morning and went to the preschool in the afternoons as a 1:1 nurse.
What do you like best about your job?
The opportunity of helping people with issues in the schools system. Whether this is a teacher, parent or student. I am happy when I know I have improved someone’s life for the better.
What do you find most challenging about your job?
The breakdown of the family. Many of the issues that challenge learning, health, and accessing resources comes from difficulties at home. I find it frustrating that I can’t fix the family life of a child.
What did you want to be when you were little?
A horse. I would run around on all fours pretending to be a horse. I pretended to a be a mom next.
What is the most interesting place you’ve ever lived?
New Zealand in Takapuna Auckland.
I served a mission for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Houston, Texas. At the same time I had a sister in Honduras who was an RN as a welfare missionary–she would cut worms out of peoples feet and thighs, another sister in England on a mission, and my parents were serving as Mission President in New Zealand, which included the nations of Niue and the Cook Islands. There were five us serving missions at one time.
Upon finishing my mission I returned “home” with my parents where they were serving in New Zealand. Living there for three months before returning to BYU, I was able to go to a prison, where the traditional greetings are still used. The prisoners performed a Haka that tells of the boats coming to New Zealand from a far off island and how the Maori people colonized the island. After performing the Haka (with nothing but a loin cloth), they were all dripping with sweat, and we went through a greeting line. This means you put forehead to forehead. There were about 50 inmates, and I remember being shocked that I would need to greet dripping men with a forehead press. I was also a very naive young woman. I received a present from one of the inmates who carved a hair ornament from bone for me for my “glorious hair.” It was long, blond and curly, and Maori have thick, long black hair.
I also traveled to the Cook Islands and went to the island of Rarotonga and Mangaia where I swam in the Barrier Reef, and once again was privileged to go to a feast with traditional greetings, and eating native eel, bats, whole pigs, and was surprised at how much meat was part of the diet.
Single? Married? Kids? Pets?
Married with five children who are all in college ranging from 18 to 23. The twins are attending running start at Clark College and the other three are attending BYU on scholarships. The three at BYU have served missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My daughter in SLC, one son in Tokyo, Japan, and one son in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Where he was evacuated from Crimea during the recent Ukrainian conflict. My husband is the General Manager for Skamania County PUD, which has allowed me to work as a school nurse. We have a griffon named Sam.
What future events are you looking forward to?
My children finding someone to share their life with and having grandchildren
What do you enjoy doing with your free time?
I love gardening, water-skiing, air soft wars with my family, hiking, and being outdoors.
What was your most interesting past job?
While attending BYU before my mission I needed cash to pay for school. In the BYU newspaper there are many ads for a Mormon nannies, so I applied for a summer-only job and was hired to be the nanny for the owners of a fishing and hunting lodge at Tikchik Narrows in Alaska. The lodge sits out at the end of the peninsula. We would take a raft and throw the Kodiaks and Grizzlies the fish cleaning discards, so they wouldn’t come into the lodge area. There were two white Kodiaks and three Grizzlies that would come every evening so we could throw them the discards. As soon as they saw the raft they would come out to greet us. We never touched shore, and the lake was extremely deep. We reached the area with pontoon planes. It was 70 miles north of Dillingham, Alaska.
What’s your favorite ESD memory?
Going to the HANDS (diabetic training for school nurses) with four other nurses for three days. We laughed, talked, ate and learned great things.
What is the funniest thing that you heard or saw recently?
I work at a clinic as well for the ESD. Yesterday our doctor was sitting on the exam table swinging his legs, visiting away with a patient and his family. The patient with his mother and dad were sitting on the chairs in the exam room looking a bit petrified.
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