My experiences as a special education teacher have shown me that many problems in school are often the result of difficult relationships between students and teachers. But what is really happening when a relationship becomes difficult? What do teachers and students experience? And how can we understand these experiences from an ethical standpoint? The aim of this study is, to contribute to an ethical understanding of the difficult relationships between teachers and students by analysing their own experiences of them. In addition, the study aims to provide perspectives and concepts to understand the challenges both teachers and students can face in the relationships between them. This study is based on an analysis of interviews carried out with eight students and eight teachers. The data was then analysed using central concepts from the Danish philosopher and theologian K. E. Løgstrup’s (1905-1981) phenomenological ethics. Building upon Løgstrup’s ethical theory, our interactions with others can be, on the one hand, on an interpersonal level, where, because of our trust in others, we become vulnerable and exposed to them. In turn, they have the choice to respond to us in either a caring or a destructive way. On the other hand, our interactions with others can be on a conventional level, where we tend to rely on laws and rules. Some tentative findings show that when teachers talk about their experiences of the difficult relationships they have had with students, they mainly talk about the struggle with students who they see as “hard to reach”, and a wide range of approaches they use to deal with these students. When students talk about the difficult relationships, they have with teachers, they often state that teachers do not care about them and of being misunderstood. They also express the expectation that teachers should care about them and understand their need for help and support.