Parent Teacher Magazine Charlotte-Mecklenburg School January 2105 | Page 5

“EAGLE TaeKwonDo is the best thing I ever did for my kids,”

Kathy Kreshon

Parents & Teachers Attribute the Eagle TaeKwonDo System with Improved Grades and Behavior.

Character-Building
Diffferent individuals of all ages develop
their full potential - physically,
mentally and philosophically.

TaeKwonDo
Free Week!

No cost, no strings, no catches.

For Evening/Saturday Program:
Just free classes for a full week.
For Transported After School:
Free program for a full week

Two Programs to Choose From:
After School TaeKwonDo Program
Transported from Nearby Schools

Expires 3/15/15. For new students only.

SOUTH CHARLOTTE AREA
Call [phone]

Evening & Saturday TaeKwonDo
Flexible Class Times for
Adults, Teens & Children
All Ages. 4 & Up.

Eagle TaeKwonDo Academy
8326 Pineville-Matthews Rd.
McMullen Creek Market

Ask about our Kids Sports and
TaKwonDo Summer Camp!

Near Chili’s, Staples and Burlington

www.EagleTKDA.com

Coal miner’s daughter climbs her way to the top
CMS highlights one of the district’s newest leaders during American Education Week
Dr. Marion Bish, who recently joined Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as
executive director of student services, said education has been a “game
changer” in her life. She credits it with breaking the cycle of poverty and
aiding her in achieving success. During American Education Week, Nov.
16-22, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools recognized staff members and how
education influenced their lives
Bish grew up in West Virginia, where her father was a coal miner with
an eighth-grade education and her mother was a high school graduate. She
didn’t initially realize a college education could be an option for her after
high school. She recalled a teacher suggesting secretarial school as her best
choice since her family didn’t have the funds to pay for college.
“There are a lot of kids like me who just need to know they can do this,”
said Bish. “It’s every child, every day, with the help of every employee.”
Bish began college when she was 30 years old with three young children.
“I found myself a single parent with outdated secretarial skills. I needed
to look at other opportunities. Education attracted me so I could take care of
my kids during the summer,” said Bish. “At the same time I found my passion
through education. It was the change for me.”
Bish started school in a community college in Florida then transferred to
Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton where she obtained a bachelor of
arts in elementary education. She taught elementary and middle school in
South Florida for five years and later relocated to Cabarrus County Schools
where she taught middle school for six years.
Bish soon returned to school and earned her graduate degree in school
administration and then a doctorate in education leadership and curriculum
supervision, both from UNC Charlotte. She stayed in Cabarrus Schools
working her way from teacher to middle school administrator, followed by
work in central office with federal programs and then in human resources
before joining CMS.
“This is a unique position in CMS. It encompasses a lot of the positions

I’ve had in the past and I feel
as though I can have direct
impact on students again,”
said Bish. “I am passionate
about working to help our
most vulnerable children. I
believe the way you impact
the high school graduation
rate is to start in preschool.
Plant the seed of achievement
and nurture it.
“Too often children
assume that factors in their
life, in which they have no
control, deny them success.
You have to give them hope to
dream.”
In Bish’s new role, she
will manage and support the
district’s counselors, social
workers and psychologists.
She said she’s impressed with
how much her staff does to “build positive bridges” between the school and
home to show families that educators care. Bish wants to continue to move
CMS forward in this direction and focus on parents as well.
“While we work to change the minds of our youngest students to show
them there are opportunities within their control, we have to also convince
their parents that we want them to succeed. Once we open the door for
parents, rarely will they turn us away.”

Parent Teacher Magazine • Jan/Feb 2015 • 3