Teacher-directed learning is often perceived to be detrimental to student learning and incompatible with learner-centered approaches. This essay challenges this perception by referring to Freirean and Confucian insights. It is argued that Freire, Confucius, and Xunzi advocated the active involvement of the teacher in student learning through necessary intervention and guidance towards self-directed learning. This article proposes a flexible application and combination of teacher-directed and learner-/self-directed learning that caters to the learner's needs.