Constructive Criticism as a New Teacher by Amelie

Constructive Criticism as a New Teacher by Amelie - August 2026 Scholarship Essay

In April of this year, I began working as a preschool teacher. As can be imagined, as a new, young and inexperienced teacher, I receive a lot of feedback in my job. The one that stuck with me the most was another teacher’s instructions on gaining student respect.
When I first started, I believed that if you treated students with respect, understanding, and playfulness, that is the quickest way to be viewed as an authority. I was quickly disproven. Although many students loved my easy-going nature, it was very difficult to redirect and instruct them because they viewed me as their equal rather than their teacher.
Because of this experience, I switched up to be more strict and firm. This also was not ideal. I felt as though I was losing connections I had with the students and even though I was enforcing the rules and expectations, the students didn’t want to adhere to them because they didn’t feel that I respected and bonded with them. This made my job very frustrating and both the children and I had distaste for being in the classroom.
About a month into this position, I had a really meaningful conversation with a coworker. I was amazed at how much the children loved and trusted her while also respecting her as a teacher and listening to the expectations. She explained that teaching has Goldilocks Ideology, you can both be easy-going and playful while also redirecting students and having firm boundaries.
After taking her advice, I’ve slowly started to notice differences. The students and I have a much better understanding but I can also enforce rules with little argument and frustration.
Although it can be difficult to hear out someone who might criticize your tactics, they often have something important and constructive to say to better you and the community.