Couples support PDA; Teachers, lookers digress
January 10, 2013
For many, there are lots of lovely attributes to having a high school sweetheart. Nevertheless these special moments are sometimes seen as inappropriate by the faculty, staff, and even some students.“It’s definitely a class change occurrence,” math teacher Paul Reynolds said. “Some of them even act offended when I ask them to stop. I try to use my judgment. A kiss is fine, but if they elongate, I intervene. I stand very close to them and watch; I like to embarrass them.”
Public displays of affection do not easily fall under the radar with teachers who stand outside their classes during the class changes. Teachers try to make sure that there is no over-the-top displays in the hallway.
“I personally feel very awkward anytime I see children involved in PDA,” Reynolds said. “Maybe it’s because I still see you guys as 10-year-olds.”
The school handbook states that “excessive displays of affection and/or sexual behavior” is prohibited, but what is excessive is open to interpretation. Some teachers have a much stricter approach to PDA.
“No kissing, no groping; I think a friendly hug is alright,” Math teacher Rosanne Lantz said. “There is a time and a place for that sort of thing, and this is neither the time nor the place.”
Affection in the hallways is not the only issue; risque and suggestive dancing at homecoming or prom can quickly earn a time-out for some couples.
“There were a couple people at homecoming that we had to speak to,” marketing teacher Diana Story said. “There were some girls standing on their heads, basically, with their butts in the air, and that’s not appropriate.”
Story agrees with Lantz that school is not the place or time for PDA. She has established certain criteria for students who wish to participate in such displays.
“My rule is three feet or three days,” Story said.
Many couples can attest to getting reprimanded for being too close.
“We used to kiss a few times in between classes, but we got in trouble by Mrs. Lantz,” said junior Sarah Delaney about her boyfriend, senior Andrew Warzinski. “So now we just kiss outside and not in the hallway.”
Students are known to avoid teachers by finding “secret” spots to mingle, like stairwells and rarely traveled hallways.
“I’m mean school is, like, one of the only places we get to see each other so we go places teachers don’t find out…we don’t want teachers to find out,” junior Sofie Kasteroff said.
However, not all students feel their PDA should be an issue.
“We hold hands or put our arms around each other,” senior Samantha Cooper said about her boyfriend, Louis Heisler. “But we don’t do anything out in public to where it’s not appropriate.”
Most couples feel that spending a small amount of time reminding a significant other how much they care is an acceptable form of PDA.
“It’s okay to a certain extent,” senior Colin Diehl said. “Like, a kiss or a hug goodbye is fine.”
However, witnesses to PDA can be offended and feel uncomfortable around a couple’s passionate encounters.
“Kissing is fine, but I don’t’ want to see making out,” freshman Juliana Magalhaes said. “Save that for your bedroom, no one needs to see that.”
~Maddie Lemelin, features/arts director
