Sometimes, the best thing you can do is ignore someone who is getting on your nerves…

But does that make you a jerk?

That’s the big question, my friends…

Check out what this guy had to say and see if you think he went too far.

AITA for ignoring another teacher and telling them I’m busy in front of my class?

I (30M) have been teaching at a school for 2 years now. I am in my 7th year of teaching.

I’m good at it, students like me and do well in my class.

The other guy, though…

The other teacher of my subject, Mr D (53M), has been at the school for 20 years.

He is very particular about how he wants things done. Majority of students dislike him because he is extremely rude and has anger issues.

Many students have told me they think he is bi-polar because he goes from being overly friendly to aggressive at the drop of a hat.

I always shut down these conversations.

A student was talking about him and said “he has a specific expectation of what he wants you to do, but doesn’t tell you how to do it, and then gets angry when you haven’t done it the way he wants.”

This sums him up perfectly and is relevant to what’s next.

These two didn’t hit it off.

Ever since I met him, Mr D has been extremely rude to me – ranging from passive aggressive comments to outright rudeness, to saying negative things about me to students.

I have always brushed this off.

My Head of Dept has even told him TWICE that this is unacceptable.

I did not ask them to do this, they only told me about it after.

There was a confrontation.

Several months ago Mr D flipped out over something minor, and came to my class while I was teaching and demanded I talk outside.

He attacked how I teach, how he thinks I’m not teaching the students properly (by his standards), and how “this isn’t good enough.”

This is incorrect, and I tried to get a word in but he wouldn’t let me.

This went on for a couple minutes as I stood there stunned. I turned around and looked in the room, and about half the class was listening to our conversation.

I told him the conversation was over and went back inside.

The other teacher backpedaled.

I literally could not speak I was so angry. I had to leave and go to the bathroom to collect myself.

About 10 minutes later he sent me an email apologising. I emailed him back the next day and he apologised several more times.

Since then, I have ignored him beyond the only most essential communication, which I try to keep to email.

He has noticed this, as he keeps coming up to me and trying to be nice and speak to me. I don’t give him anything beyond a one-word response and walking away.

The other day we had an assembly, and some students sang in front of the whole school.

After he came up to me and said how nice it was, and I said “uh huh” and turned and walked away.

He gave him the cold shoulder.

Next period, he came to my class to speak to me again, and I said “it’s pretty obvious I’m busy right now, send me an email and if I have time I’ll reply”, turned my back on him and continued speaking to a student.

One of my students saw this and said that they saw me walk away from him during the assembly.

They were laughing as they said it but said that I was being rude to him, which they found very funny because they don’t like him.

I spoke to another teacher and they said that I was being rude and should be nicer to him.

So, AITA?

Here’s what folks had to say on Reddit.

One person said he’s NTA.

Another teacher was definitely on his side.

This reader asked a good question…

Another person said he needs to nip this in the bud.

And one Reddit user doesn’t think he needs to be friends with this guy.

Sometimes, you gotta lay down the law.

Nice work!

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.