Oh, whatever.
In art it is no longer acceptable (it seems) to lovingly recreate the notes of the masters; no room, anymore, for different interpretations of the same notes - or maybe I have an outsider's perspective. Then again, is it acceptable (anymore) to simply (only, just) recreate the melodies of the masters? Is there anything left for the modern player to squeeze out of Beethoven, or brahms or anyone who came before the immediate present? Must we tear ourselves away from the past and create everything anew (including the wheel) simply to prove the point that music is moving forward?
And what happened to the cadenza? The heavily theoretical approach to teaching that allowed the student to so fully understand the music that improvisation was not an effort, but merely the next step? Are we sure we're not going backwards?
Oh, but music is about enjoyment, and there's nothing enjoyable about theory, or scales, or things that are hard...right? No need to push ourselves, or our students, or our children, beyond what is completely comfortable. Heavens, I'm not suggesting we introduce a sliver of realism into young lives, no, that'd be cruel, because we've already established that everyday life is deadly boring. So we should shelter them from it as long as possible, delaying the day when they, too, realise that there is no point and no hope and no fun. And, of course, by delaying we pretty much guarantee that they won't have time to decide what to do about the situation, if anything.
What happened to enjoying things worked for? Ok, maybe no child has ever really been born with a super work ethic, and certainly one shouldn't just snarl and force them to practice for hours on end...but enthusiasm over little improvements, demonstrations of a positive goal...blah blah, instead of simply giving up and saying, oh, well, if you aren't perfect the first time you might as well quit...auugh.
Teaching other peoples' children is tough. I refuse to change the way I teach (think, have a strong possibly incorrect but gut feeling sort of opinion) in order to harmonise with values that I don't agree with. They are certainly free to choose another teacher.
It is also possible that I am not suited to teaching 7-12 year olds. It is possible that I treat them too much like people and not quite enough like children. It is possible that I allow too many of my opinions on more than music to be heard...but I remember the fury that I had towards adults that treated me like a child when I was a child, and I remember that the only people I found interesting seemed to have strong and frequently unpopular opinions...and well, at the very least they'll learn the fine art of sarcasm, and perhaps dictionary use.