I think that you have been dealing with hand offs from poor Suzuki teachers. You are absolutely right in the comparison to, "American method with a Japanese name", in that many teachers have simply taken the basic courses, Every Child Can!, paired with a few books registered, and labeling their following 30 years as Suzuki Method teaching. In reality, they lost their roots almost immediately without further study. There are some of us that value fundamentals such as hand frame, reading, musical nuance, etc literally from day 1. Just as much as the conservatory teachers we send our students to for college.
The comparison between rote learning and learning by ear has of late been a major subject of consideration for the Suzuki Association of America. It was Dr. Suzuki's wish that learning by ear be the preferred method for development. Teachers such as Ed Kreitman (known for his book Teaching From The Balance Point), often gloat about how they "don't teach a single note". I have always followed the philosophy that by Go Tell Aunt Rhody they are teaching themselves. Many teachers though, perhaps out of a lack in confidence for their students, tend to fall back on rote learning when a student is not succeeding. Better teachers would take a more, "can you sing it?", "is the pitch higher or lower than you are playing?", approach. In my opinion, if rote learning is the only successful method for teaching certain students, they need to do more listening at home.
I respect your experience and opinion. But, I would urge you to study the many articles written by today's Suzuki teacher trainers: Teri Einfeldt, Sanford Reuning, Ed Kreitman, Ed Sprunger, Judy Bossuat, John Kendall, William Starr. I think you would see that not everyone teaches in the American-Suzuki manner you have experienced.
I was not a Suzuki child myself, but am now a proud teacher of the method. I remember a summer I spent studying with Stephen Clapp, at the time Dean of the Juilliard School. I asked, "about what percentage of your violin students are Suzuki trained?". Response, "at least 90% each year".
