Remember also that if you land a tail wheel aircraft with the brakes on the results are likely to be much more catastrophic compared to doing same with a tricycle undercarriage (i.e you might end up upside-down having tipped the aircraft up on its nose!). On a tricycle undercarriage you might blow the tyres or damage them but not a lot more.
And yes, they are "Pre-Landing Checks" because you might do a straight in approach and never fly downwind.
I too have observed a student place the brake lever to park in error for applying the first stage of flap!
Incidentally, I teach never to set the park brake having lined up - it's too easy to forget, especially if you are taking off on ice or wet grass and the resulting poor acceleration is not good for performance! I believe it was at Alaska many years ago where a DC8 attempted take off on an icy runway with the brake brake set to ON with dire consequences and hence, in my experience, the park brake is never set to ON after lining up with most airlines etc.