Originally Posted by Noah Zark
The mantra I was always taught was "Height with throttle, speed with stick."
I was told the same thing by my instructor, who then went on to say, "...except when you do this, or this, or this..."
He told me during the subsequent debrief that it is a good concept for beginner pilots as it provides them with a good fundamental base on which to build their skills on at the small corner of the flight envelope they'll be living in for a while. But there are exceptions to that rule (hence his demonstration), and once you get into the more advanced training that rule goes out the window.
I hope that explains the rationale behind why students are taught this concept. Personally I thought it made a great deal of sense at the time.