I am an Asian myself, but that doesn't stop me from saying that teaching is an art. If you put too much rigor into the style and methods of teaching, the whole thing becomes a military exercise, and kind of kills the creativity in kids.
If this is not true, why does creativity still stay with western countries and not Asia (in terms of industry)?
I think Sal's spontaneousness is his strength. I don't think he is a loose canon. His style may be casual, but he is always moving towards a clear goal in the videos. That casual tone encourages the user. It piques their curiosity.
That's why maths reference books are very structured and rigorous, but people don't read them.
Creativity is not hampered by a rigorous, well-designed curriculum. Just look at the Florentine artists, who trained hard at their art under their masters, then produced creative masterpieces themselves. Creativity is hampered by lack of skill (a problem for Western kids who aren't taught math well) and by social pressure to conform to expectations, do as you're told, and not question your superiors (a problem rife in Asian cultures and classrooms).
You can combine a well-designed, coherent curriculum for skill training without imposing the crushing baggage of "your worth as a human being depends on the brand prestige of the university you get into."
