People Worry They Were Too Harsh In These 'Am I A Jerk?' Stories

"So just a while ago while walking down the hallway in my class change at HS my assistant principal (AP) walked around the corner, saw me and outright yelled my name.

Everyone in the hallway stops and looks at him and then at me as I ask him what going on. He sorta walks jogs over to me and the drill sergeant points his finger at me and yells "You better get parking buddy (PB) on the phone and get him to give me those cones back by the end of the day or I'm gonna suspend you" and then walks off as I'm asking him what he is talking about. As he is walking away I'm trying to tell him "What are you talking about? How am I supposed to know what PB is doing? Why am I in trouble?" and he turns around about 10 feet away from me, still yelling, and says " I leave here at 3:00 so you've got 4 hours to get him to come back to school or else!" and then storms off.

Everyone else in the crowded hall is just staring at me as I have a confused look on my face, wondering what in the world just happened. After the shock set in I scrambled to pull out my phone and try to find his social media to try and call him, I don't know him very well which is why I'm really confused, it takes a second and when he picks up I immediately ask him what is going on, and that AP said he was gonna suspend me.

PB says he took some cones from the parking lot as a joke and put them in his car today because he was annoyed about them being in the way. I told him that I was going to be suspended if he didn't give them back, he was also confused because I didn't have anything to do with it, and wasn't at school when he took them. He decided to give them back because he didn't want me to get in trouble for something he did.

Because of all this, I filed a complaint with the school because of his outburst of yelling at a student, and that he did it in such a public manner in front of other students.

I later found out that the reason he was angry at me was because I parked next to PB!!! He just assumed that because I parked next to PB we were friends and had something to do with the cones, I only really interacted with him when we left our cars in the morning, we've never even had a class together. I don't really think anything will come of the complaint, and I don't want anything to, I just wanted to submit it so that A) there was a record that it happened and B) that he maybe sees it and is discouraged from doing it in the future"

Another User Comments:

"I left my career as a teacher because of unhinged and unprofessional adults like this. So proud you reported him. Tell your adults at home too and don't be afraid to email the superintendent directly. Administrators will protect each other over students but the super may not.

Ask what the follow-up will be and how it will be avoided in the future and don't stop emailing until you have an answer. Get your caregivers involved and keep everything in writing. No adult in a school setting should raise their voice at you. Period. You were more professional than this grown man. You give me faith!!!" TallGlassOagua

Another User Comments:

"NTJ. Good for you for reporting it. It could go either way now. Either he’ll leave you alone for the rest of high school, or he can retaliate and make the rest of high school difficult for you.

Hopefully, he’ll be smart and he won’t cross the line with you again, but a lot of principals have a power trip and a holier-than-thou attitude, so be prepared if he is now looking for any and every way to get you in trouble. If he starts to “have it out for you” make sure to report him every single time. Have your parent go to it. If it gets bad file a formal complaint for harassment and retaliation to the school district." Katiew84

Another User Comments:

"NTJ. And it doesn't matter WHAT AP thought!

Even if he was right and you were friends with PB the way he went about talking to you about this issue is unacceptable! You absolutely should make a complaint!" Ixpen