I agree- I think to most degrees, we as students should "set the pace". Our instructors should challenge us and teach us, but not push us beyond our limits. They should bring us out to our potential without trying to force something from us that isn't there.
We're blessed with a team of excellent coaches we relate to very well. Both are able to very successfully find a way to communicate with us- what we're doing, what should be done, and an exaggerated version of what's wrong so we can SEE it.
I wouldn't call her a 'jackass professional'... although I was *very* stung at the time, in a group WCS workshop (again, WCS is NOT my favorite thing), I was singled out and picked on briefly by the woman, and I could feel and see her patience run out with me as she hammered away as "nicely" as she could, but several people asked me later "Was there some kind of problem"?... It's another reason I detest group workshops, weekends, things like that... we're not in grade school math class anymore, They can stop picking out the slow kid and calling them to the blackboard, y'know?