‘[He] has taught longer than I have been alive. I am a first-year teacher. Trying to survive’: First-year teacher gets blocked trying to enter her classroom by a veteran colleague upset about classroom noise

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Apr 29, 2026 7:15 PM EDT

A veteran teacher with decades of experience and apparently very strong opinions about hallway noise decided the best way to handle a disagreement with a first-year colleague was to block her door, put his foot on hers, and follow her down the hallway. With great power, it seems, comes not so great responsibility, not to mention personality 

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  • Older teacher with glasses stands in front of a chalkboard covered in math and science formulas.
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Teacher standing in classroom before chalkboard filled with math and science equations.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Just like Veteran employees who've outlasted entire generations of entry-level workers, Veteran teachers who've outlasted entire generations of students sometimes develop a very specific personality. They've been in the building so long that the building starts to feel like theirs, the hallways are their hallways, the rules are their rules, and anyone who doesn't run their classroom exactly the way they do is personally making their life harder.

  • Coworker prevented me from entering my classroom then put his foot on me.

    I had a male coworker, confront me in front of my classroom. He stood directly in front of my classroom door and
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  • blocked me from moving into my room. He asked me if a student had asked for permission to
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  • come over to tutor another student. I told him that I had already spoken to that student
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  • and told her she couldn't come into my class and that she needed to return to her study hall.
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  • He then said, "Well, do you want to know why they want to come to your room?" I didn't respond. He continued
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  • Young teacher holding a notebook stands smiling in front of a classroom chalkboard filled with math equations.
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    Smiling teacher holding a notebook in a classroom with math equations written on a chalkboard behind her.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • by saying that every time he walks by, my students are either being loud or I have them playing on the Promethean board. He
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  • said he just wants all the rules followed and that if we aren't following them, it makes him look like the bad guy. He said, "it
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  • needs to be completely silent until 2:55. I have my room completely silent"
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  • I responded, "Well, I'm glad you're a better teacher than me," and tried to disengage and go back into my classroom. As I
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  • The noise complaint is a classic opener because it sounds legitimate. Nobody can argue against wanting a quiet hallway. But when the actual concern is that a first-year teacher's students were playing on the Promethean board and that apparently makes the veteran teacher look like the bad guy, the noise was never really the point. The point was establishing who's in charge of the hallway, and by extension, everyone standing in it.

  • attempted to push up my door stopper and move into my room, he physically put his foot on mine and said, "We're not done."
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  • Most people, when they want a conversation to end, take the hint and let it end. This particular colleague took a different approach and put his foot on hers. Physically. As in, foot-on-foot contact to communicate that the conversation was not, in fact, over. This is not a conflict resolution strategy covered in any professional development workshop. It's just a very tall person deciding that the size difference wasn't doing enough work on its own.

  • I felt uncomfortable and tried to leave the situation. I really wanted to go to my classroom, but he had blocked my door. He is also physically
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  • The following her down the hallway part is where it tips from awkward into genuinely unsettling. She walked away, he followed. She went into the workroom and closed the door. At some point even the most self-righteous hallway enforcer has to recognize that a closed door is not an invitation to continue the discussion about appropriate Promethean board usage.

  • much taller than me, by probably a foot. I walked down the hallway toward the workroom, and he followed me. I went into
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  • the workroom and shut the door behind me. After I waited a bit and then went back into my classroom and cried. He
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  • First-year teachers are already running on fumes trying to figure out the job, the kids, the admin, and where to eat lunch without accidentally sitting in someone's spot. Getting physically blocked from your own classroom by a veteran colleague who thinks complete silence until 2:55 is a personality is not part of the orientation packet. Crying in your classroom afterwards is honestly the most understandable possible response.

  • is a veteran teacher, who has taught longer than I have been alive. I am a first year teacher. Trying to survive.
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  • Laraliadragon783 Putting his foot on you is physical intimidation and unacceptable. Document this immediately and report it to your administration or HR.
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  • SparklesIB Next time someone touches you without your permission, start yelling, "Don't touch me! How dare you touch me?" Etc. Make it crazy awkward for him.
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  • Terrific Vixen5693 HR complaint. You felt physical unsafe because of the incident preventing you from entering room. After that, felt sexually unsafe, because of the physical contact. You're going to request that this person no longer work with you or approach you near your classroom.
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  • benicebuddy Think about how you were taught to help students deal with a bu y, and take your own advice. If you are not comfortable confronting him alone, do it with a witness or report this to your manager.
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  • CarDecGra Email your admin now. Write down exactly what happened & send it to the Principal & HR. That is absolutely unacceptable. You have to stand up to this busy & let him know you will not be treated in this manner.
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