As a teacher, you will see what is affectionately referred to as "puppy love" develop in your classroom - and teaching in an elementary or middle school setting does not make you immune. Kids from kindergarten up through twelfth grade can "fall in love" at the drop of a tack, although romance in the classroom usually starts a bit later. As students get older, they pay more attention to the opposite sex and romance or puppy love can often become a classroom issue. But all too often, the budding romance can cause problems for teachers and other students, as well as the two 'love birds'. Let's look at some specific tips for handling affection between students.

High School Students

If you teach high school, you likely understand up front that dating and romance is part of the teenage years and all efforts to extinguish a burning flame between two students is not only futile but inappropriate. But when the romance is happening right under your nose it can be a source of disruption and can upset your classroom management techniques. While you need to remember that "courting" is normal and natural for your students, you do not have to allow it to negatively impact your classroom or your instruction. In the high school classroom, you need to adopt and lay down specific rules about classroom romance and enforce them when needed. Mutual respect is a golden rule for any classroom and for students of any age. This means that even when students are coping with issues related to their romance, they must respect other students and the teacher by focusing on the class and participating in the class. A good way to help kids understand this principle is by having a "leave it at the door" policy. This means that all troubles and problems are left at the door when class begins so that the students can focus on the lesson. Issues that arise between dating students should be solved after school or on breaks between classes - on their own time; the classroom is a place for learning, not for socializing.

Middle School Students

Middle school may be the most tumultuous times of a teen's life because the middle school years are the years where girls and boys are raging with hormones and experiencing puberty for the first time. This sets the scene for romance and teachers at this grade level should prepare for it. And as an educator, you should be waiting as a responsible adult role model to mirror appropriate behavior for them in the classroom. Teachers can be a source of advice and support as teens begin to navigate the new feelings that they are experiencing. Invite your students to schedule time to talk with you not only about academic problems but about anything else that is troubling them at the time. This is a wonderful way for you to provide guidance and direction during this difficult time for your students.

Elementary School Students

Amazingly enough and for whatever reason, kids are beginning to wonder about romance and the opposite sex at increasingly younger ages. Recognizing this shift is important, as is directing the student towards appropriate behavior. Romance at this age is immature at best, and having a strict policy of no-romance in the classroom is usually the best policy. Use this time instead to teach children to respect one another and that there is plenty of time for romance when they are more mature.

At all levels in the educational system, teachers must be prepared to deal with romance between students in their classrooms. Sometimes parents are blissfully unaware or not mindful of the issue, which means that the teacher must ensure that students learn and respect one another in the classroom - and hopefully this will spill over beyond their interactions at school.