As some freshman English classes act out Romeo and Juliet, Mrs. Browning is taking it to a whole different level. Each time Romeo and Juliet kiss in the script, Mrs. Browning feels it is necessary to pick two new students in the class to pucker up and kiss in front of the entire class. These students do not volunteer they are victims of her choice.

I understand Mrs. Browning’s reasoning for wanting to show the affection the forbidden couple has for each other by actually kissing but is this really an appropriate thing to be doing in a freshman class? Mrs. Browning has an excellent way of teaching where she captivates her students but I believe this is crossing a line. For starters, it is humiliating for those who have to kiss in front of your fellow peers. It is also not a requirement to kiss for the class so we should have a say if we want to kiss another person. Like I said, I understand why she is doing this, but isn’t there other ways to do this like a hug or high five? The students I have talked to about this situation are very uncomfortable about it. However, there are some advantages.

By having students kiss, it will make the entire Shakespeare unit much more memorable. This also teaches students to grow up and be mature in an awkward situation. This is unique and causes a lot of the class members to laugh which will help students remember the information because when you’re laughing it, it much easier to remember things.

It is obvious that there are several pros and cons to this decision of making people kiss in class. I one hundred percent understand why Mrs. Browning feels that it is justifiable to kiss but I believe it is violating personal boundaries and potentially religious and moral beliefs.