Teach a kid to kill the closest alligator first.
Here's a virtual kick in the nuts for using one of the most overused and puke-inducing expressions in the military. Other than that, I'm in agreement with all of what you posted.
I always appreciated the IPs who could explain the practical applications of any maneuvers in NATOPS, MDGs, STAN MANs, FTIs, etc., Going through the different training pipelines, it's easy to get caught up in memorizing procedures, numbers, etc., seemingly just for the sake of passing check rides and getting good grades. However, understanding that we learn BIs because they keep us alive when we live at/below 300'AGL, or that we practice max gross takeoffs and landings because they represent the vast majority of our operations, puts things into perspective.