[Edu-sig] Python as a first language for computer sciencist

[Arthur]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: edu-sig-bounces at python.org [mailto:edu-sig-bounces at python.org] On
> Behalf Of Arthur
> Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 6:23 PM
> To: 'Brad Miller'; 'Mark Engelberg'
> >
> > I understand that you see this as a risk, and as a downside to using
> > Python.  However, I rarely see these kinds of errors in the programs
> > that my students are writing in CS1 and CS2.
> 
> I try to be the voice of the student, rather than the teacher - as I in
> fact
> was introduced to programming with Python.

And I think it fair to Python to mention that I was certainly like "this"
before trying to learn to program via a dynamically typed language that has
little use for declarations.

Though from this small a sample we cannot rule out the possibility that
learning to program with Python only works for folks who, as kids,  handled
(out of curiosity) more beads of mercury than was probably good for them.

Art