I am neither a teacher nor a parent, so my experience is extremely limited in this realm, but reading your post I thought of something that happened to me when I was around 11 years old that I think has stuck with me my whole life.
I was always drawing cartoons as a kid, I was influenced by the newspaper strips and tried to emulate the cartoons I liked. All the adults around me always thought I was good at it and it was like, oh great, you have this talent. So my aunt suggested that I send some work in to Disney. I put together some pieces and my parents sent it off. I had no idea what to expect, but someone from Disney wrote back, a brief note, but they told me that it was great that I was drawing, and if I was serious and wanted to be an animator someday, that I should learn to draw from life. They explained a little bit that even though animation isn't realistic, the practice of drawing from life was essential to being a good animator.
I guess the point is that for me, it wasn't so much about having someone critique me, but the fact that A. they wrote back B. and that they gave me a sense of direction. I wish I had more of that when I was growing up, adults who told me that they believed in me and had the knowledge to guide me to challenge myself.
I think it's awesome that even though you're far away from her, you are so eager to help!