The Honor Code

The Honor Code is a reflection of Tim Plaehn's ten years as the faculty chair of the honor council at an elite boarding school, a school built in 1900 which has a traditional honor code but a unique approach to upholding it. Rather than punishing offenders of our honor code, they create a space for students to discuss, to understand, to own their mistakes, and to make amends. Their honor process focuses on educative means rather than punitive ones.

The code-"I will not lie, cheat, or steal, and I will report any violations of the honor code"- comes alive through four retellings of actual honor cases to illustrate the importance of integrity in young people's lives. The book then unpacks each story by seeking other thinkers who've grappled with integrity and by examining American culture especially to find models of behavior-from Ensign Pulver to Beyoncé to Thomas Cole. In a world that seems to treat honesty and integrity as something rather passé, The Honor Code hopes to bring us to a discussion on why such virtues just might be essential to a life well-lived.