By Kirsten Kraus | Staff Writer

When it comes to gathering dating advice, there is no one better to ask than the people with experience and knowledge, and who better than your teachers? Although it seems unlikely, your teachers can teach you more than how to solve for x or how to balance an equation. Believe it or not, teachers were young once too and were experts on the high school dating scene. Now they are here to share the wisdom they learned from their own heartbreaks and date nights with you.

Before looking for your soul mate, you should assess the ideal qualities you feel are needed in the person you want to be in relationship with.

“Make sure that you really like the person before you start going out with somebody. And of course make sure that his qualities are way more than his downfalls. Make sure that he is a good guy or a good girl, you know, a good person all around. Make sure he or she likes chocolate, very important. After that, its, well, whatever, but make sure that person likes chocolate,” language teacher Dominique Dantaux said.

In your search for a relationship you need to search for yourself. Before anything can happen with someone else, you have to know yourself and what you want.

“Before you start dating, you need to find out who you are, your personality, and your goals, so when you actually start dating, it’s easier to match your personalities,”  Spanish teacher Soraya Cordeau said. “Making a list might help sometimes. Even if it’s not the perfect person, at least you know the must haves in that special person.”

To some, dating in high school is a casual fling that will come to an end sooner, rather than later.

“Some relationships in high school do work, and you have high school sweethearts that are still married 20 years later. Sometimes it works, but being in high school is part of experimenting and finding the right person, what works and what doesn’t work, so most of the time it doesn’t last that long,” Dantaux said.

However, others might argue that a lot of couples in high school are in serious relationship and could last, but it all comes back to you.

“I think that high school relationships can last, but it all goes back to your maturity level. I think, if anything, juniors or seniors probably have more of a long term relationship than the younger grades do,” Cordeau said. “I do think the relationships in high school can last, but I go back to saying that we don’t know our own goals and who we are still, so it’s going to be hard, at whatever age, to date.”

If it ever comes time for your significant other to move away, you are faced with the option of a breakup or a long distance relationship. Long distance relationship are difficult, but could be a possibility for young couples in high school.

“You have to be very committed to be in a long distance relationship. You trust the person, or you hope to trust the person, but if anything, trust would be the hardest part. You’re young, and if you are in love I’m not saying don’t go for it or don’t date long distance, but you do have to be very committed and you have to talk a lot with that person and know that your trust is the most important thing,” Cordeau said.

Long distance relationships do have a downside though, and some people don’t believe these relationships will last and aren’t worth the commitment.

“I don’t think long distance relationships work in high school,” Dantuax said. “I’ve never really experienced them, but hey, if you really care for the person, you might as well try.”

Dating in high school is a tricky task, but can be successfully accomplished by getting information from an experienced and educated adviser.

“I would ask my English teacher because she’s awesome and she understands us. She’s the only teacher I could imagine going to for dating advice,” sophomore Emily Hermann said. “I would ask her about guys, like how to put up with the stubborn and obnoxious ones.”