Editor's note: This is part one in a multi-part series. This past summer, I took a course that challenged me to examine my personal teaching philosophies and how they fit into the proficiency based practices proposed by the Maine Department of Education’s Strategic Plan and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). With respect to state and federal expectations, we were asked to respond to the following question: what does your own code of ethics, sense of right, and moral oblig