Should Honor Code Prevent Dishonest Behavior?

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Some say that honor codes cannot prevent dishonest behavior because "a cheater will cheat no matter what” but that’s not completely true. At my high school here in Sacopee Valley, we have an honor code-- and people follow it most of the time. Unlike some schools, we aren’t required to write pledges of honor on our tests. We all get an updated student handbook every year when school starts and always have full access to the school rules. All our honor code does is act like a rubric for student integrity, and it works for almost everybody! We should maintain this current honor code because of how it encourages students to be honest but doesn’t punish students who choose not to turn their classmates in. We have teachers who watch for plagiarism and students are allowed to privately report people if they want to. There are reprimands to cheating here but they’re not too excessive. Our honor code is effective and should be maintained because it’s not a rule to obey- it’s a friendly reminder of what our school stands for and what choices to avoid if you don’t want to get in trouble. …show more content…

If a student is never held accountable for dishonest behavior starting at a young age, they will develop bad habits that will be detrimental to their future. [Source F], Donald McGabe's "New Honor Codes for a New Generation", says that "the key to their [a number of colleges] success seems to be encouraging student involvement in developing community standards on academic dishonesty and ensuring their subsequent acceptance by the larger student community." The key word there is encourage. Our honor code is effective because it does what Mr. McGabe suggests, it encourages honest behavior among our students and

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