This proposal is a placeholder in case the session for the Irish symposium on teacher ethics develops and needs one more presenter. The paper will draw from literature on teacher education and moral education to discuss exemplary second-level teachers' sense of responsibility. The sample was selected by reputational method by multi-layered groups in Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Data included a survey followed by an in-depth, semi- structured interview. As interviews were coded, the unanticipated theme of responsibility emerged. The cross- cultural data indicate that these teachers acted on a sense of responsibility to the students and community, their subject area, and the profession.