Mean Comments vs. Constructive Criticism

[S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN]

Vent! Doesn't it drive you crazy when you get back an assignment that you worked hard on, only to see the prof has written some mean or nasty comment that just makes you feel like crap?

I just got back an assignment that had a bunch of those. What did I learn from the prof's comments.....nothing. Totally unhelpful statements, no constructive criticism, nothing to point me in the right direction to improve myself, no suggestions, not even any explanations for the statements. I feel like I might as well not even have tried.

And I know I'm not alone here, 3 of my friends in different programs all got essays back this month with the same thing. Urgh, vent over......

[AllyRN82, MSN, APRN]

I'm sorry you're dealing with this

I hope you have a better rest of your semester.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

What were these "mean", "nasty" things that were said? Sometimes pointing out a student's weakness, while it appears to be mean or nasty, is meant to be a nudge to make you aware of something you are doing that you were unaware of. Anger is often the initial response to being forced to look at our own shortcomings that we would rather not look at. Change is hard to make and can be very emotional. Is it possible that while the comments seem mean or nasty that they were, after all, well-intentioned?

[michar]

critiques are easy to take personal even when they aren't intended that way. I learned the hardway through some art classes, and that lesson is coming back to me now stronger than ever.

Without knowing what the comments are, all I'm going to do is share how much more I learned once I finally realized that the critiques weren't slams against me personally, it was highlighting places I needed to improve.