Employable Attitude for Teacher Reform School

Here's a job requirement for an Assistant Professor of a graduate school:

High level of zest, grit, hope, gratitude, and humor.

Got it. Check out the ads. This institution has apparently been under scrutiny for its unorthodox way of training teachers. They are not grounded in heavy educational theories from the start. The focus is placed on practice in the field. NYT article. What do you think of this approach? Practice first, and then go to the theory? Or theory first, then practice. Arguable.