When Erin McFarland’s daughter enrolled at Rolesville Charter Academy as part of its inaugural third-grade class, she remembers liking the school and its proximity to their home, but one aspect in particular stood out.
Having Moral Focus virtues be part of everyday learning was something she wasn’t used to seeing. Concepts such as respect and compassion weren’t exactly foreign, but to see them being incorporated into the classroom in an overt manner was refreshing.
A few years later, McFarland joined her daughter and son at Rolesville by becoming a teacher.
“We hadn’t seen a school that put that kind of emphasis before on just the Moral Focus virtues,” she said. “I was really impressed with the teachers and the care that they had for children, and my kids just flourished. They really enjoyed coming here."
The McFarland family has continued to enjoy their time at Rolesville, as the second grade teacher was Excellence in Teaching winner as part of the NHA Excellence Awards for the 2022-23 school year. Fittingly, she was announced as a winner by Principal Shayla Lowman under the guise of a Moral Focus assembly.
“I was very, very shocked,” she said. “It was a great honor. My family was there so it was very overwhelming but of great honor.”
It was a special class that year for McFarland. Even though it was one of her smaller class sizes, the bond was evident as several students attended the awards ceremony and still take time to say hello to her to this day.
“We really learned to bond together,” she said. “It was very special and to see them in the hall now, they still give me hugs. They still treat me so well, so I’m just really honored by that class specifically.”
McFarland said that interacting with younger students is something she has enjoyed, in part because of how much she learns from them.
“I just felt like children need people who believe in them and want to see them be successful,” she said. “They’re super sweet at this age. They’re learning their independence. It’s fun to watch them come into who they’re going to be.”
As students come and go each year, the main thing that McFarland hopes they take away from their time is her class is that they’re appreciated. “I talk to my kids about how we need to treat people the way we want to be treated,” she said. “I tell them all the time, ‘I treat you the way I want to be treated and want you to do the same.’ I just want them to know that they’re valued and loved. If they walk away feeling a little bit better about themselves and they’re capable of doing things, then I consider my job done.”
Keep up the excellent work, Mrs. McFarland!
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About Rolesville Charter Academy
Rolesville Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Rolesville, North Carolina, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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