Sophs #4 journal: Blue Laws and Honor Codes (due Friday)
In 1723, Jonathan Edwards wrote seventy resolutions for personal growth that he reviewed once per week.
Here are two resolutions that I'd like you to examine:
Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord's day.
Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.
Puritans also believed in public censure, publicly and formally naming, condemning, and sometimes banishing sinners and criminals. So it was perfectly fine "to speak evil of someone" if "some real good" would come from it--like the discovery of a cattle thief, a cheater, or even a witch. Some schools, mostly religious and service academies (like Brigham Young University and West Point), have honor codes, where the entire school community is in charge of policing virtues like honesty and chastity. What you might call "snitching" might be considered a moral duty to keeping the community clean.
Respond to one of these three prompts:
1. Research blue laws and/or honor codes to find where they are still present today. Even better would be to find recent news articles where these legacies of Puritanism have been tested (hint: try Google News). Write a synopsis of your research and/or discuss the pros and cons of any of these blue laws or honor codes that you have found through research.
2. If you're a man or woman more interested in providing solutions than in researching problems, then, as an alternative assignment, tell me how you think an honor code (one that promotes academic integrity and NOT stealing) might (or might not) work at St. Mark's. Got integrity, anyone?
3. Again, like #2, you want to be proactive. Brainstorm and then write your ideas to foster a climate of integrity at St. Mark's, going beyond the Honor Code idea. How can we foster integrity in everything that we do? Clubs, sports, performing arts, academic classes, general behavior?
... as always, 250 words or more
posted by JTF @ 8:13 AM
34 comments
34 Comments:
Blue laws have existed for centuries. They are the laws that were required to be followed on the Sabbath day. They were started by the Puritan settlers on New England, in the 1600's. Some states practiced these blue laws until very recently. For example, many states, like Arizona and Maine, until recently, prohibited the sale of alcohol, and the sale of cars at dealerships. Some restaurants weren't allowed to be open. Some states like Missouri and New Jersey still have some in effect however. These laws seem barbaric, but they are ingrained in a religion that stretches across the world, and affects millions of lives. They are very important to many religious people, but have some pros and cons. Some good things about these laws, is the fact that they keep God in the minds of a society that seems to have forgotten religion. They give people an opportunity to go to Mass and maybe reflect on your life. these laws could also just be utilized for relaxation on Sundays. These codes also have some cons. one is the fact that America has many religions, not just Christian denominations. The laws were passed on the State level, so all the residents in that state had to follow them. including non-Christians. It isn't fair for other people whose religion doesn't require a restricted Sunday. Also, people who make a living at the establishments closed from blue laws miss out. They lose a whole day's wages, which for many, is very important. These blue laws are still essential to many people, even if they have died out in many states. Even if they go away completely, it won't matter. They are forever a part of American History.
In the state of New Jersey, Bergen County and Paramus still have a form of blue laws still used today. Bergen County is known for having one of the strongest blue laws in the nation. Likewise, Paramus has one of the most restrictive blue laws of any city in the world. The odd part is that these blue laws are not made for religious purposes as they were in the colonial era. Instead, these laws are made for traffic purposes. The citizens of Bergen County and Paramus believe that they have a right to have one day a weekend traffic free. Although these laws are made to decrease traffic, restaurants, movie theaters, supermarkets, etc. are all open on Sundays. In fact, the only things that close on Sundays are the malls. Although, this kind of violates the freedom of mall owners. If other businesses can be open on Sundays, then the malls should be allowed to open on Sundays. These types of blue laws violate the free enterprise, property rights, and individual liberty of these American citizens who are forced to close on Sundays in Bergen County and Paramus, New Jersey. In my opinion, these so called "blue laws" are just complete bogus and should be changed as soon as possible. Although these laws might help traffic on Sundays, there are more cons than this one pro. When the cons out weigh the pros, that is when people should start taking action. Clearly these blue laws have come a long way from those of the colonial era, and have taken a turn for the worse.
I think an honor code that promotes academic integrity and not stealing would have somewhat of a positive effect on St. Mark's High School. To have the best effect, it would have to be enforced in just the right way so that it would appeal to all of the students who attend the school. Every person is different. Some people work hard and do their best, while others try to cheat their way through life. The honor code would not have much of an effect on the students who already live their lives in an honest way. Those who do cheat or steal might rethink their ways, but again it completely depends on the way that the honor code is enforced. If the honor code is stated, but no faculty members enforce it, then the rule is easier to break. More students are likely to ignore it. But if the code is stated too harshly, it can make some people mad and they will continue to break it just to try to have it removed. Somewhere in the middle of these two options would be best. State the honor code and enforce it, but do not be too harsh with it. I believe that more students would follow the honor code if it was enforced in this way. Everyone is different, though. Obviously, no matter what you try, not everyone will follow it. I think an honor code that promotes academic integrity and not stealing will definitely improve the school, but it can not guarantee the following of every student.
Here at Saint Marks High School, the four core values are excellence, humility, integrity, and faith. One that is really important to our school is the quality of having integrity. Integrity means being honest all the time and having strong moral principles. We can incorporate this quality into every element in our school such as clubs, sports, performing arts, academic classes, and general behavior. When we join a club, we must be honest to ourselves when we sign up. When you sign up for a club, you are promising that you will contribute to the organization and help others. If you sign up and don’t follow through with everything, it is not showing integrity. In sports, you must do the same thing. You have to follow the rules, respect the coach, and do your best. The most important thing is having good sportsmanship, which is also an example of integrity. When you join a performing arts club such as band, chorus, or theatre, you also have to show integrity. You have to show up at every practice and try to do well at every performance. In your academic classes at school, you have to work hard, attend every class, take notes, and do your own work by not cheating. Cheating is the biggest violator of the integrity rule, and it will bring down your grade and performance in your class greatly. You have to be honest about cheating, or else you will get into even more trouble. In your general behavior, you have to be honest, a good friend, and have good morals.
Located in the northwestern portion of Florida is Okaloosa County. On September 6, 2014 the new commissioner-elect for the county, Trey Goodwin, pondered over Facebook how a withdrawal of one of the county’s blue laws would go. When asked about this musing Goodwin stated that because he was not even sworn in yet (at the time) he thought he would start with something “really small.” The county’s restrictions on alcoholic beverages affirm that no retail sales can be made until 1:00 PM. Goodwin says that he just wants to, “put this on the common-sense meter” meaning that if you are allowed to be drinking alcohol on a Sunday then why shouldn’t you also be able to purchase it as well. A repeal of this blue law could bring more activity to liquor stores in the Okaloosa area, since some residents find it strange that just a few blocks outside of the county you can buy alcohol anytime stores are open to sell it. Although the meaning of the blue law is understood, since the county has a mostly tourism-based economy it would be strange not to concede to the tourist’s visiting and let them spend money, and sales tax, on whatever they want whenever they want. The only down side to a repeal of this blue law would be that moralists would flat-out refuse to get rid of the ‘out-dated’ law. A city in Okaloosa, Niceville, in August considered easing regulation on restaurants that serve alcohol, but quickly disposed of that idea when religious residents warned officials that relaxing the booze policy would “significantly impact the morality of the city.”
I think an honor code would work at Saint Mark's because the students need to realize that they can not cheat their way through high school. An honor code sets standards that are supposed to help students realize that they should study and are smart enough to do their own work. By following an honor code, students are responsible to have integrity and to not cheat or let others cheat off of them. Though not every single person is going to follow the honor code, others should do the right thing and tell a teacher. Honor codes may seem pointless to some students, but overall they could set boundaries at Saint Mark's for people to realize that cheating should not be an option. Cheating is not the only type of academic dishonesty either. Copying someone else's homework or project is also considered academic dishonesty. This is because work is being taken from someone who actually did the homework and is given to someone who just had to rewrite it on another piece of paper. Cheating is defined as taking work that is not yours, and I think that an honor code at Saint Mark's would benefit everyone equally. Academic dishonesty can also occur when someone gives their own work to another classmate for them to copy. Though that student did the work on their own, it is still academic dishonesty for letting other students copy their work. This is another reason an honor code would benefit Saint Mark's because it can teach the students to let their classmates do their own work. Academic dishonesty can come in many different forms, because it is any form of taking work that doesn't belong to you. If Saint Mark's had an honor code, it would teach the students that doing their own work is the right the to do.
Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. The early Puritans modeled integrity by having an honor code system. This was a resolution and a goal in order to keep peace throughout their settlement. I believe that a similar code would work for St. Mark's. In some classes, we do have an honor code that we put on every assignment. It states that the person has not received nor given any inappropriate help on this assignment and that the work provided is theirs and theirs alone. However, I think having an honor code throughout the whole school would be more effective. In our honor code, we would focus more on cheating, where as the Puritans focused more on witchcraft and thievery of cattle. By upholding integrity in academics and athletics, there is a higher chance of us learning more if we do our work ourselves and playing better if we play by the rules to the best of our ability . I believe that everyone should have the chance to do the right thing at St. Mark's and giving us an honor code will help us do so. Instead of just doing things wrong, such as cheating, without feeling guilty, will put more pressure on us to do the right thing. Installing an honor code will ensure that everyone who respects it will be upholding integrity. Just like the Puritan's, the Spartans would be able to follow this honor code respectfully and without an issue.
I do believe that in some ways honor codes will and can work. However, I do not believe that it would work at Saint Mark's. St. Marks is a tight-nit community of friends. We are like one big family who look after each other and protect each other. I feel that this community would take that to the extreme. Although some students would abide by the honor code and truly take on its responsibilities, others would not. No one would want to be the one to "snitch" on their friends.However it is a good idea and is known to work in many communities I am unsure whether it would work at St. Marks. I however do think that Saint Marks should try to have an honor code. At some schools, like William and Mary in Virginia, an honor code is a major part of the induction process. My sister attends William and Mary, and she tells me how safe and comfortable she feels in leaving her laptop on a table in the library while she is elsewhere. She is never afraid that anyone would steal the laptop because the honor code is followed there. This is a wonderful environment to further an education, and I think it is worth a try no matter how it mount pan out in the end. The school could use there current punishments to make this happen. An assembly could take place where all new and returning students would swear by the honor code. Although it might not work, I believe that Saint Mark's should try it.
Only twelve states still have blue laws banning the sale of alcohol on Sundays. Some of these states include Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. The only state that bans alcohol on election days is South Carolina. This law was put into effect during the Prohibition era when bars sometimes acted as polling stations. Although only twelve states have blue laws banning alcohol sales on Sunday, there are hundreds of counties, referred to as "dry counties" that still enforce blue laws today. With Sunday being the second busiest shopping day of the week, these blue laws typically hurt the county's economy. In 2004 in Boston, Massachusetts, Mayor Thomas Menino decided to finally lift a 329 year old blue law that stated that Native Americans must be escorted into Boston by musketeers. He also lifted blue laws on blasphemy and adultery that were still in effect. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine all prevent most retail and large grocery stores from being open on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and a dozen more states have blue laws banning the sale of vehicles at car dealerships on Sundays. Bergen County in New Jersey is known to have very strict blue laws which ban the sale of clothing, furniture, and even home appliances on Sunday. Paramus, New Jersey, only allows the sale of necessary items on Sunday like food and gasoline. There is a good amount of controversy in repealing blue laws, especially the ban of selling alcohol on Sundays. While bigger liquor stores argue that they lose business to other states on Sundays, smaller Mom and Pop shops find it unfair that they would need to stay open a seventh day. Blue laws have been in America for hundreds of years, and some states may take awhile before finally repealing them.
In 1723, Jonathan Edwards wrote seventy resolutions for personal growth that he reviewed once per week. Many schools and businesses have a similar system. As of this year, St. Mark's High School has a new honor code that focuses on living our lives around the four core values of faith, excellence, humility, and integrity. Not only do we focus ourselves on these qualities in our academics, but we also use these in our sports, clubs, and our overall behavior. Many people struggle with integrity. There are many ways that the St. Mark's community can strengthen their integrity throughout all aspects of their lives. One way that the student athletes at St. Mark's can foster integrity is to be dedicated. When the coach turns around in a tough workout, a player would express their integrity by continuing to workout, rather than to take a break. As far as integrity in clubs goes, an easy way to stay dedicated is to attend meetings and event. Many people view integrity in their academics as not cheating on exams or any other assignments. Although this is a large aspect of academic integrity, there is much more an individual or group of individuals can do. Students can set goals to keep them on a steady academic path. They can also study more than the minimum requirement. Integrity has a many diverse meanings. Although in some situations integrity might mean dedication, in other cases it may mean honesty. Integrity in a relationship or friendship is essential for it to last. These are only a few of the many ways that the St. Mark's community can go beyond the set honor code to foster a climate of integrity.
Blue laws may seem like a concept of the past, but in some counties and states today they are still very prevalent. Blue laws are laws that are made to reinforce moral standards. In colonial times, most common blue laws prohibited almost any activity on the Sabbath. Today, there are twelve states that still hold blue laws that ban the purchase of liquor on Sundays. In a few counties in northern states, retail stores are not allowed to be open on Thanksgiving or Christmas. In other states, car sales, hunting, and even horse racing are all prohibited on Sundays. In a few states, alcohol sales are banned on Election Day. I think they are both pros and cons to blue laws. I think it could be a good thing to remind people to make Sunday a day of rest. Some of these blue laws, such as the ban of liquor on Election Day could help lead to better decisions being made. It's good to let people have off for holidays. But there are also cons to blue laws. Does the government have the right to make these decisions for you? I think many of these blue laws can very easily seen as based of off Christian values. It's great to have employees off for Christmas, but what if you are a store owner of a non-Christian faith? Why should you have to close your store for a holiday you do not celebrate? If you are a citizen who does not value Sundays as a day of rest, why are you forced to rest? I think blues laws can strip some people of their religious freedoms. That is why even though blue laws can have some pros, in more recent years they have been getting repealed. However, even if blue laws are not a part of our future, they will always be a part of our past
Blue Laws are laws that restrict certain activities and the selling of certain goods on Sundays. These laws date back to the time of Puritans. These laws were put into effect in an attempt to preserve Sunday, the Sabbath day, as a holy day of worship. Blue Laws are still present in few states, but most have been repealed. Some states that still enact Blue Laws are North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Illinois, Colorado, North Dakota, Iowa, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and some others. On Sundays in Massachusetts, retail stores are required to pay their workers one and a half times their normal pay. Most of the states in which Blue Laws remain have one or more of the same laws. Some common Blue Laws restrict hunting, the sale of alcohol, and the sale of cars. For example, there are restrictions on alcohol sales in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and 5 other states. Some of these Sabbath Day restrictions prohibit the sale of alcohol depending on if it’s being sold on or off premise, before noon, or on a basis of alcohol content and type of liquor. Another type of Blue Law prevents car sales on the Sabbath Day. In North Dakota, Iowa, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Oklahoma, Maine, and 6 other states, there are absolutely no car sales on Sunday. Car sales are only permitted on Sundays in certain counties in Maryland; Texas and Utah forbid the sale of cars on successive weekend days. In eleven states, hunting is restricted or banned on Sundays. These restrictions are either on the time of day or the species being hunted. These laws are beneficial in a way, because they allow nature lovers some time to go into the woods without a fear of being shot, and they provide workers at car dealerships and liquor stores a day off of work. The laws can also have negative effects because most of the population gets off of work on Sundays, so people might plan on using that day to hunt, go car shopping, or purchase liquor.
As much as I'd love to say St. Mark's is the best example of integrity ever, it's not, and I do not believe an honor code would do anything to boost the integrity at school. With that being said, a majority of the students at St. Mark's do show a great deal of integrity, so I think an honor code would anger those students, or it would at least greatly annoy them since they would have to write the honor code on every assignment. People who are already cheating probably go through a lot of work to cheat, so I don't think words on a piece of paper will stop them from cheating. An honor code is like a speed limit sign. It is written right there, but most people don't follow it. Only when they are caught speeding might they slow down, and this is the same for cheating. The words won't do anything unless the person is actually caught cheating. Also, the strength of the honor code would probably be interpreted differently by different teachers. One teacher could take the honor code loosely, just making sure the students don't plagiarize off of the internet, while another teacher could crack down on the students so much that they can't even help each other out with something they don't understand. Overall, I believe that an honor code at St. Mark's would be a poor idea, especially because many students would either ignore the honor code or get frustrated with it.
2. An honor code that promotes academic integrity and not stealing would be effective in St. Mark’s because it advocates the values of hard-work and honesty to oneself. When an honor code is put out into a group of students who differ in ability, it is important for everyone to follow the code to be as efficient as possible. By setting a standard of academic integrity, a code could separate students who want to learn and succeed from students who think they can just simply pass by cheating off others. Having an honor code in effect causes good-willed students to try to study harder in order to obtain a feeling of pride and accomplishment. However, when these students start to earn good grades, other students will try to steal their work so that they can thrive as well. The best component of an honor code is that when it is presented to the student body, students who are out for their own best interest will enforce it and will not leave the work to the teachers alone. When a student realizes that another student is trying to steal from them, they can take the matter into their own hands or bring it to the attention of a teacher in order to stop it. The honor code will then be enforced by having the students who are academically dishonest fail or be punished in other ways. By having students and teachers work together to implement academic integrity, an honor code will benefit the school community as a whole.
If St Mark's were to have an honor code instated I think that in all honesty it would not change a thing. Not to say that there is a huge problem with cheating or stealing in this school. But people do indeed do those things and chances are that if they are going to do them in the first place, something like an honor code would not change their mind. In my theology class, we have to write an honor code on all of our papers that we turn in and sign them. It's a complete pain and viewed as merely a nuisance by most of the people in the class. The only benefit of having an honor code, that I can think of, would be that it would bring attention the situation and the consequences of academic cheating. In theory, honor codes in schools are a great idea. Students and faculty should uphold to a certain moral standard but the reality of it is that an environment where everyone follows every rule will never actually happen. The main flaw in an honor code is that it relies on students reporting cases of cheating. It's pretty safe to say that most students don't care if someone else is cheating. This apathetic attitude shows a lack of interest in the moral well-being of the school community. It would be great if we lived in a world where academic cheating, or cheating of any type, was a non-issue but we don't and the best we can do is to try to trust that everyone makes the best choices possible.
Response #3
Honor Codes have always been a very important part of society. Through the ages, they have held students and adults with careers to a higher standard. Stanford University has had an honor code written by their own students since 1921. On a first offense violation of the code, Stanford students are required to complete forty hours of community service, and they are issued a failure credit for the course in which the violation was enacted. St. Mark’s does not have an honor code that I am aware of, but I believe that we need one. One of the reasons students would not follow an honor code is because they are not interested in their work. If we could get students more interested in their work, they would not have a desire to cheat off another student or get their answers from the internet. I for one would never break an honor code because I like schoolwork, but not every student is like me. Another reason students lose integrity when doing their work is because they do not have time for it. The average student at St. Mark’s is involved in at least one sport, club, or activity on top of the grueling course that are assigned to us. It is hard to juggle our interests and our work, so we often feel we have no choice but to cheat because we have no time to do our work or to have time to ourselves. I, for example, am involved in three clubs and two sports at one time that often leave me with four hours of practice every night and countless hours of before or after school meetings. When are we expected to find time for school? Every club moderator, coach, and teacher expect us to put his or her respective activity at the top of our priorities and it is just not realistic. So two ways to get students to do their own work would be to get them more interested in the classroom, and not expect them to put everything at the top of their lists. All in all, I think St. Mark’s would benefit from an honor code, but only if we could get students to abide by it.
I think an honor code at St. Marks would have a positive effect on the students. An honor code would promote integrity, not only in the classroom but in the entire school life, including sports and clubs. The honor code would promote the students to do their own work and study to do their best. If there was an honor code at St. Marks, it would have to be enforced just the right amount so that students would follow it, but they also aren't being smothered by it and the teachers enforcing it. If it was loosely enforced, then students wouldn't follow it. they'd just keep doing what they were doing since no teachers are enforcing the honor code. If it was too strictly enforced and being basically shoved down the students throats, the students may might rebel against the honor code and try to have it removed. In school, there are always the students who do all their work themselves and try their hardest. There are also the students who try to get everything from other students and cheat their way through school. Some people do get away with it, but what have they truly learned? The honor code would make the students who try to cheat that they have to do their own work, that they can't just get their work from others. It would also make the students who give their work to others that its wrong to do that, too. Overall, I think an honor code at St. Marks could greatly benefit students at St. Marks of enforced and followed properly.
In Denver, Colorado there was a blue law that prohibited sale of alcohol on Sunday. In July of 2008, Cheri Jahn, a Democratic representative in the Colorado General Assembly, had done something she hadn’t ever before. On her way to a barbeque, Jahn picked up a 6 pack of Fat Tire Beer, most of the partygoers a group of consenting adults, most of who had also stopped and purchased beer and wine on a Sunday for the first time. Jahn was a cosponsor of a new law that ended a state ban on Sunday alcohol sales. Blue Laws all across the nation are being removed. The law banning alcohol sales has been removed in 13 different states including Colorado. One advantage to having blue laws stay where they are is that it will regulate the lives of American citizens and help control the amount of alcoholism and crime rise in the country. One reason that keeping the blue laws are a bad idea, is that Americans, have never, and never will like having their freedom and rights restricted, this can lead to things such as illegal alcohol sale and purchasing. People have begun to speak out against these blue laws, some even going so far as to call these laws outrageous, and unnecessary. American citizens and beginning to detest the blue laws and it will not be long until most, if not all, of these blue laws will be removed from society.
If St. Mark's were to have an honor code, I feel that it would have somewhat of an effect, but it wouldn't be rather drastic. Honor codes are in place to prevent academic dishonesty and to help encourage integrity. One at St. Mark's may cause some students to think deeply about what they are doing, and therefore help deter them from using work or ideas that aren't theirs. Some students may not even need to make a change, as they are already honest and do their own work. Yet, there will always be those who do not do their homework or bother to study, whom the honor code tries the most to focus on and reach out to, but they still don't listen to its message. They keep on cheating and stealing, despite the fact that something is there trying to steer them in the right direction. Those who are good, may not want to constantly be bogged down by an honor code, whether they must write it on every assignment, recite it every morning, and/or see it printed on many things around the school. The honor code would still remain in place because the dishonest students who are unable to absorb its message continue to be untruthful. This would result in the good having to be punished thanks to the actions of the bad, which is not fair to them. All-in-all, an honor code at St. Mark's may help promote academic integrity amongst students who do their own work, and who let its message sink-in and stick with them. Sadly, the honor code would not be able to change everyone. It may even become an annoyance and burden to those who are honest, and they'll grow tired of it.
Blue Laws are laws that are put in place to reinforce moral standards and prohibited almost all unholy activities on the Sabbath. These laws date back to the colonial era, and existed mainly among Puritan settlements. There are some states that still have Blue Laws today. A few of these states include North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Texas. Most of the states in which Blue Laws remain have one or more of the same laws. For example, many states, like Arizona and Maine, restrict the sale of alcohol and cars on Sundays. In a few northern counties, retail stores are forced to close on major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and even Election Day. On Sundays in Massachusetts, retail stores are required to pay their workers one and a half times their normal pay. Several states also have restrictions on hunting on Sundays. Blue Laws have both pros and cons. Some benefits to these laws, are that they keep God in the minds of a society that seems to have forgotten religion. They give people an opportunity to go to Mass and maybe reflect on their life. These laws could also just be utilized for relaxation and recovery on Sundays. Some of these blue laws, such as the ban of liquor on Election Day could help lead to better decisions being made. These codes also have some cons. One is the fact that the U.S. has many religions, not just Christian denominations. The laws were passed on the State level, so all the residents in that state had to follow them including non-Christians. Also, people who make a living at the establishments closed due to Blue Laws lose a whole day's wages. These blue laws are still essential to many people, even if they have died out in many states. They are forever a part of the American past
The tight-knit, Puritan communities carried integrity as one of their essential values in order to uphold a just and safe community. They would do what is right, yet also warn the others in the community when one does wrong. Today, at St. Mark's, integrity is one of the most important values stated in the school's honor code. Among integrity are faith, excellence, and humility. We, not only as followers of Christ, but as just human beings, are expected to do what is right for our own sake and the sake of others. Snitching is not the correct term for telling when someone does something that goes against the rules. Telling is key to keeping a morally faithful community. St Mark's students are expected to uphold integrity, meaning they are expected to do what is right, without expecting a reward or acknowledgement in return. An obvious way we can uphold integrity in our academic classes by not cheating off our neighbor's paper. We are expected to prepare and achieve excellence on our own. Integrity is carried out by maybe putting a wrong answer down for a question you don't know, rather than looking off someone else's paper. Students can also uphold integrity in their clubs and sports. Integrity in clubs is simply joining a club with the right intentions, and not just joining because it looks good on college applications. You are doing the right thing without a reward. Instead, you are rewarding others with the service you give. In sports, integrity could be not illegally hitting in a game. It's unfair to all of the players. Instead, you should play fairly, even if it does not give you an upper hand in the game. If we uphold integrity in all of these ways, we will eventually find integrity within our general behavior.
Blue laws were very important in the past and are still very important to this day. Blue laws were created so that religious beliefs would be enforced especially on Sunday. To this day, Blue Laws are still in practice in the United States and other countries. Some states that have these Blue Laws are Texas, North Carolina, and Oklahoma. In Texas, they prohibited car dealerships to be open or sell cars on Sunday. In North Carolina, they do not allowed gun hunting to be practiced on Sundays. In Oklahoma they prohibited the selling of packaged liquor on Sunday and other major holidays. Even those these Blue Laws are not the ones they had in the Puritan days, they still prohibit Actions on Sunday. The Blue Laws that Puritans had are still practiced by people who strongly believe in the laws. Even though these Blue Laws seem reasonable, their are many complaints about them. Many people think they should be repealed because they are Religious beliefs. In the article, "The Pros and Cons of Sunday Closings" in the Collegian people believe they are good because it is a day of rest which people need. Also in this article students from the University of Richmond believe they should be taken away. In Delaware many People complain about how Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday because meat is not supposed to be eaten on the Lord's Day. Also people can't buy certain things on Sunday like Alcohol in some states which gets people mad. The good thing to that is that their will be less accidents from drunk driving. Many people see them as a bad thing but they give people breaks of from work and let people rest on one day of the week.
Blue laws have been in effect dating back to the time of the Puritans. They regulate the community due to religious reasons, whether it be keeping the Sabbath holy or closing for a religious holiday. Many of these blue laws have been repealed since that era, but there are still states that enforce these ways of life. Some of these states include Arizona, Texas, Maine, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. One of the most common blue laws still in effect today in the different states is the ban on alcohol sales on Sundays. Blue laws can also ban car sales on the Sabbath, close certain businesses, or close entire shopping malls. Blue laws like these could be helpful to the religious people in the community, but can burden those who do not practice the same religion. People who believe in keeping the Sabbath holy will not have to worry about working on Sundays while those certain blue laws are in effect. If someone does not believe in resting on the Sabbath, they may find it troublesome when they cannot go to the store during what they consider a normal Sunday. This is also the case for someone who may be desperate for extra work and money. If their community closes businesses on Sundays, they cannot get an extra day's worth of pay that they may need. Though blue laws help the religious people who believe in keeping the Sabbath a day of rest, they are too much of a hindrance for the people who do not believe in those same ideas.
Here at St.Mark's integrity is very important and is one of our four core values of the school. One of the best and most important examples of integrity is Academic integrity. Here at St. Mark's it is very well enforced but I believe that an honor code would really encourage students more to not cheat. I believe the honor code would really give students a reason not to cheat. You will not be able to cheat your way through life so why cheat in school. The honor code would really prepare students for the rest of life getting them in the habit of not cheating. One example of an honor code that I follow now is in Theology class. On everything we hand in, whether a test or homework, we write an honor code saying we did not cheat. This encourages me not to cheat not only on my religion homework but on all of my homework and tests I take. It is a reminder of what is right. Not only should we uphold academic integrity but integrity in everything. For example the honor code would include students not to steal. Students should be able to trust the school community that no one will take their things. Even thought we are provided with ways of locking our things up we should feel like everything we own is safe. Not only objects but even school work and our own identities should not be stolen from us. Also We are a catholic school and thou shall not steal is one of the ten commandments. We should always follow them and it would be appropriate to add them in the honor code.
Exploiting a Code of Honor as a means to disciplen students has the potential to eradicate inappropriate behavior within the school. This is because an honor code sets moral standards and condemns actions that are considered wrong. The code would encourage students to have similar values and subsequently enhance the unity of the school. If enforced properly, it would also teach students not to cheat and steal or do anything else unfair or immoral. Along with theese benefits, a code could also teach student how to live out the school's core values. For theese reasons a school honor code would be mostly helpful. However, the difficulty in having an honor code would be enforcing it. If the school were to have such a code it would be important that the students know and understand it well. Knowledge and understanding of the code would make it easier for students to not just to obey it but also integrate it into their daily lives. It would also be important that the students take the code seriously. This way, if somebody was to break the honor code, he/she would actually feel guilty and try to change his/her behavior. Overall the perks of having an honor code would be that it could help get rid of some school problems and encourae school unity. On the less optimistic side, the honor code would be hard to enforce and some students might see it as unnecessary given that St Mark's already upholds the corevalues. However, I think an honor code would help the school.
An honor code is a list of rules or moral principles that in most cases a school puts in place to prevent cheating and to promote honesty. Honor codes also often have rules about stealing. Students are expected to follow the rules layed out in the honor code. Although not all students follow the honor code, most do, and it makes a better learning environment for everyone. It prepares teens for real life and teaches these teens morals and ethics. St. Mark's as a whole currently doesn't have an honor code, but as in any school, academic integrity and honesty is expected of everyone. Some teachers in St. Marks have an honor code for their classes although as a school we do not have one. I believe that an honor code would be very beneficial to the St. Marks community. It will prepare students for the real world, and it will make them work harder, study harder, and learn more. Teachers and administrators will also benefit from an academic honor code. They won't have to deal with as many people cheating and they can focus more on teaching. Students who already do their own work and don't rely on copying won't have much of a problem with an honor code. Other students, who don't do their homework, may have more trouble in school but in the end they will benefit from having an honor code. I believe that the St. Marks community would overall benefit from having an academic honor code.
Honor codes are used in many schools across the world to prevent unfair advantages on assignments. If St. Marks were to create an honor code there would be less cheating, better test grades (for the most part), and less people would get in trouble for cheating or letting someone cheat off of him or her. There would be less cheating because students would feel guilty for writing down the honor code then not following it, let alone the guilt of simply knowing they cheated. Less cheating on homework and class work would result in better test scores.
If students did not copy the answers on homework they would actually learn the material and test better because they did not have to cram study the night before. Since an honor code prevents students from cheating, less people would get demerits and detentions from cheating because they would have even bigger consequences if they did cheat. However, there could be some minor setbacks of an honor code at St. Marks. First of all, some people would not even care if they cheated on an assignment because they do not get guilt as easily as others do. Second of all, even if the students did their homework and class work, they might not do as well on tests and quizzes. Just because they did their work does not mean they automatically do well on tests and quizzes. Students have to work hard to achieve good grades and if they do not understand the topic they have to work even harder. Overall, St. Marks should estate and honor code to lessen the amount of cheating and improve academic honesty.
I think in society today even at a Catholic school like Saint Marks, it is very unrealistic to think everyone will follow an honor code. One of the four main qualities instilled in us is integrity. So they are trying to teach us how to use an honor code without calling it that. In society today if you tell on someone for cheating it is considered snitching. In my Paschal Mystery class my teacher requires us to write and sign an honor code on all of our papers,which would be considered a smart idea. However, if I'm gonna spend the time and energy to cheat why would I rat myself out? Not saying I have cheated, but it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out a student isn't going to tell on himself or herself. A viewpoint that I could also see plausible, is that if it is their choice to cheat then it is their guilt they have to live with. Them cheating doesn't directly effect me, but it should hurt them morally. So why is it the students job to tell? Stealing is a different story though. If I found out my friend was stealing I would make them return the item and if they refused I would go to higher powers. I think the main reason an honor code would not work is because students feel as though they need to cheat. It feels as if all schools care about is grades, not whether the students understand the concept. So, if all the school cares about is grades then the students won't care about being honest. Students telling on eachother is considered snitching in today's society and until students see it a different way and honor code will fall flat.
Kirsten Albanese
Blue laws range from alcohol sales to car sales. Twelve states, including Minnesota, restrict Sunday liquor sales within their borders. States like North Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois ban car sales outright on Sundays. Maryland allows car sales on Sundays in only the counties of Prince George's, Montgomery, and Howard. Also, Michigan restricts Sunday car sales to counties with less than 130,000 people. Furthermore, Texas and Utah prohibit car sales over consecutive week days which the car dealership owners can choose. The pros of alcohol blue laws is that no one will be drinking on the Lord's day. This is good because that means that less injuries would be produced on the Sabbath. The cons of this is that Churches use wine for their services and if a Church runs out of wine they can not buy any. The pros of car sale blue laws is that people would not be doing work on the day of The Lord as He planned. The bad thing about these laws is that if your car stops working you can not get a new one on Sunday, you must wait until Monday. These laws help keep The Lord's day Holy, but they also create some inconveniences for certain people.
There are four core qualities at St. Marks High School. These are excellence, humility, faith, and integrity. Probably the most important quality that we, as a student body, should try to develop is integrity. This quality should be incorporated into the club and sports programs, academics, and theatre. An honor code would be exceptionally useful in creating an integrity based atmosphere for St Marks. We could create a school wide honor code that would apply to all of the school programs and by coming to school, you are automatically abiding by it. This could be a part of the mission statement as well. This honor code could be one every school test and contract such as the acceptable use policy. On the other hand, each grade could write its own honor code that applies to them. Each sports team can come up with its own honor code too. The honor code, however it is implemented, will definitely decrease cheating and unsportsmanlike conduct wherever it is used. One positives of an integrity based environment is respect. If we boost integrity, there will be more respect for coaches, teacher, and students. The honor code will encourage students to do their own work, take their own notes and not cheat on tests. I already have an honor code in my religion class and I think it works very well at helping the students maintain their integrity. The honor code is like a little reminder that academic dishonesty is wrong and it comes with harsh consequences.
The Blue laws are almost completely obsolete In the United States today. The Blue Laws are laws designed for the purpose of enforcing religious standards.The Blue Laws often prohibit buying and selling of certain products on Sunday's and other holidays. States such as Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina prohibit the sale of liquor on Sundays. Some Blue laws prohibit the sale of every day items such as cars, groceries, office supplies, and household items. Certain states also have blue laws prohibiting hunting on Sundays. For example Virginia allows the use of hounds to chase wild game but does not permit hunters to still hunt on Sunday. Some states, such as Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine still have old blue laws in place from the 17th century prohibiting retail sales on Sundays and other holidays.The reason that they are called The Blue Laws In the 18th century, the term "blue" was used to describe overly rigid morality and those who practiced it, much like "yellow" was used to describe someone who is cowardly. The origin of "blue" in this case was actually a shortened form of the derogatory term "bluenose".The Blue Laws refer to religious laws, like not shopping on Sunday and the banning of alcohol.The word Bluenose is defined as a priggish or puritanical person, and it is in this sense that they are called The Blue Laws. Blue laws have operated to protect Christian business owners from competition on their sabbath. However, they don’t protect those (such as Jews and Muslims) whose sabbath is Saturday from competition on their sabbath. Thus blue laws have established a double standard in favor of Christians.
Blue laws are laws that are enacted for religious reasons of keeping holy the Sabbath day, Sunday, by banning certain actions or the sale of various items. They are mainly seen in the United States, as well as some European countries, like Austria, Germany and Norway. Some Islamic nations may ban the sale of certain items on Fridays. Many states ban the sale of alcohol on Sundays, believing that people should be in church on that day and not drinking. At some point in the United States, the sale of cars, household goods or appliances were banned on Sunday, though most of those laws have now been repealed. One very strict area where many blue laws are still in effect is Bergen County, New Jersey. The sale of clothing, shoes, furniture and home appliances are forbidden on Sunday. These laws have been kept in effect by numerous referendums. Paramus, New Jersey, bans any type of employment on the Sabbath,
Except for necessary items like food, gasoline, or hotels. The states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island andMaine ban the opening of any businesses on Thanksgiving and Christmas. In Saudi Arabia, blue laws are in place where all business except hospitals must be closed during Islamic prayer, which is held five times daily. Germany restricts the opening hours of establishments on Sundays, with the example being the Ladenschlusslegetz. Blue laws may not mean anyhting to some people, but to be fair, why would you go out and buy beer on a Sunday? Who throws parties on Sunday?
2. I honestly believe that if there were an honor code at St. Mark's, it would not be followed. So many students take for granted what their signature means and lack true honor and integrity. It's no secret that teenagers love to gossip. On a daily basis teenagers share secrets with each other and these secrets become common knowledge. They lack the honor of staying true to their promise to keep the secret. Similarly, teenagers lie constantly, in school and out of school. This only more proves that most people lack honor. The fact that teenagers lie and have no honor proves that should they say, I am telling the truth and truly mean this, you cannot believe it. The most important thing in an honor code is the how honorable the person taking it is.
Honor codes are used in many of today's organizations and committees. Most colleges and schools have set up their own honor codes with their own guidelines. In Mrs. Flynn's paschal mystery class, she makes us write her own honor code on every assignment and test we hand in. "I have neither given nor received inappropriate help on this assignment. The work provided is mine and mine alone." A popular news story was about a Notre Dame athlete. KeiVarae Russell was kicked off the football team for this season due to dishonest academic conduct. He is a junior that was a star cornerback in past years for the Irish. I believe that having an honor code is good. It sets a standard for all that it applies to. If the people choose to follow these, than they will uphold their integrity and honesty and be kept in the group or organization. I also believe that there could be cons in these honor codes or blue laws. If they are too harsh, than they will be widely disregarded and just cause more ruckus than it tries to stop. Another way that blue laws are used in today's world is Chickfla. This popular fast food chain is closed on Sundays. They could be making much more money if they were open everyday, but decided to give up this money to follow the blue laws. This is one of the reasons I favor Chickfla over other fast food chains(also because of the great food of course).
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