Do you teach CHILDREN or PROGRAMS?

For a couple of days now, I've been stewing. I'm unsettled. There are these questions just flooding my thoughts. So many programs out there that we buy into and try to implement. I'm not saying that all programs are bad. There are some that I love. My question becomes which comes first...the children or the program? 

So let's say I have this awesome program. The district has researched it and put a great deal of money into training teachers to implement it. But when I look closely at the program, I notice that it comes from a place that is nothing like my state, my city, my district, my students. Should I be concerned? What should I do? 

Do we take the children and make THEM fit the program?

or Do we take the program and make it fit our children? 

I hope the answer is as obvious to you as it is to me. Just because the program says to do it this way doesn't mean we have to do it that way. What may work for one state with certain demographics may not work the same way for another. Our children come first. We have to meet them where they are and adjust our instruction. If we believe that kids come first, then this would be our action to match that belief. Our actions should match what we believe. 

This means we can take a great program, research it, learn how to implement it. But then the most important step will be to make it work for our kids. Our kids are unique and they are different every year. They will need accommodating. Some will need modifying. They will have specific needs and it's okay and expected that we are proactive as well as responsive to their needs. 

We need a MIND-SHIFT from teaching TO learning. What is more important? Is it more important that we teach it? or that THEY LEARN it? I say the latter. But if our focus is on the program then we are not putting kids and learning first. 

Here's the article that I read that stirred up many thoughts in my mind and drove me to write this opinion post.
NPRed ARTICLE
Your comments and thoughts are appreciated.