Should I ask this teacher for a letter of recommendation?

Applying to College
1

Hey!

So I’ve had this teacher (we’ll call him Mr. A) for 10th, 11th, and now 12th grade. Him and I became super close during my sophomore year and that relationship continued during my junior year. He was always at the top of my list when it came to letters of recommendation, and I assumed that would be the case when I would eventually apply to college. However, halfway throughout my junior year we hit some bumps in the road, but nothing too bad. Then, at the very end of my junior year, we got into an argument about an assignment that he gave us. It reached a point where I snapped at him in the middle of class. Now, in retrospect, it was inappropriate for me to speak to him rudely, but he was also in the wrong (I won’t get into the details because they’re not important). This was literally two weeks before summer started, so I assumed that we would get over it. During this time, there were also elections going on for a club that he runs and I was running for a position. At the time, I held the position and I was running for it again. If you ask anyone at my school, they’ll tell you that I’m the only person in our school to have proved myself capable for this position. Fast forward, he doesn’t give me the position (we don’t have people vote for who gets the positions, Mr. A chooses them). Everyone I’ve asked agrees that he didn’t give it to me because of that stupid argument. Now I’m applying for colleges and I had my mind set on not asking him for a letter of rec because he blind-sided me once, whose to say he won’t do it again by writing a negative letter. However, he recently approached me and said, “If you need me to write a letter for you, just ask, and I’ll write the fiercest letter I possibly can.” I’m simply not sure if I can trust him. My question is, what would you do in my position?

Thanks!

P.S. Just a few answers to questions I know I’ll get:

  1. How do I know I’m the only person qualified for this position?
    Mr. A told me I am.
  1. What was the argument about? It was a simple disagreement that got out of hand.
  2. Why don't we cast votes to elect these positions? To avoid favoritism, which is ironic, all things considered.
2

Do not ask for a letter. He was being truthful when he said fiercest and he did not mean that in a good way. Find another reference.

3

If you were my son, I would advise against asking this teacher for a recommendation.