With the vast expansion of the internet over the years, the number of teenagers communicating with their school classmates online is impossible to estimate. Your best high school classmate may be asked out on a date one night, and dumped the very next day. With this new ability to ask a classmate on a date without doing it on a face-to-face level, high school relationships are becoming meaningless and absurd.
Should you date in high school? Probably. Dating your school classmates will give you the experience of interacting with one other person on an intimate level. It will allow you to have some stress-free moments alone with a classmate, communicating not about the school day or your parents, but instead about how you feel. Dating a high school classmate provides you with an opportunity to grow as an individual and learn what you like, and what you don't like.
Eric Erikson, a developmental psychologist, has created a scale of eight stages of development that you and your school classmates will go through as you grow up. The adolescent stage is called 'Identity vs. Role Confusion', and occurs between the ages of 12 and 18. In this time, your school classmates and yourself should be asking the question 'Who am I?' If you're having a problem with this, then the primary question you're asking should not be "Will you go out with me?"
Your school classmates are going through the same troubles you are. Too much homework, stress at home, jobs that pretty much sucks, pointless assignments, and frustrations about who you are. Is involving another in your problems the best idea in the world?
Dating a classmate may mean that you end up dumping your problems on someone that you really want to be close to, problems that you need to figure out on your own. And vice versa - your school classmates will most definitely be trying to share their problem load with you. Is it a good idea to try to get someone else to solve your problems, or for you to do it yourself?
Until you and your school classmates find out who you are, dating is probably not the best option. However, if you really like someone, by all means, dating is a way of showing that you trust and care for them. Enjoy your relationships, but watch out for the following, which may be indicative of the problems ahead:
Your boy/girl friend is "all over you", pressuring you to do more than you're comfortable with.
Your boy/girl friend disrespects you, whether you're alone or in front of mutual friends.
Your boy/girl friend always wants to talk about themselves, to the point where you are feeling drained and don't want to be around them.
Your boy/girl friend doesn't seem to be listening to what you're saying, or never wants to do anything.
Dating is a serious commitment, and one that may not be suitable for high school students. If you break up with your high school classmate because you don't feel comfortable with that relationship, you are justified. High school is first, and foremost, for learning and development. Dating is great, and dances are fun, but if your grades are going downhill, take a step back. High school doesn't last that long, and your school classmates are competing against you for a place in college. If you let a relationship take your grades down, you may ruin your chances for a better education.
High school students are taught to think about others. And in the "real life", that is true. However, for your high school career, focus on your grades, not your hormones. Otherwise, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.