[Edu-sig] Python for High School Students

[Garret McGraw]

Hey there,

I don't know a whole lot about what kinds of curriculums there are for 
high school classes but some things I have discovered in my 2 years of 
programming with Python are these. As great as Python already is, it has 
great pontental for becoming greater as differences between modern 
platforms widen because it as totally portable between platforms.  It is 
available for almost any operating system and is 100% compatable between 
all of them.

It is great for the younger generations because it is used for almost 
anything from homework (specificly math) to many large industry-level 
projects and buisnesses such as Google and I think Yahoo! also.  I know 
this comparison is a little out-of-place but I think with intrests of 
preparing young minds for the real world, its very appropriate to use, 
because python, due to its extreme ease in which it can be learned and 
its enjoyable programming qualities known to many of us is the perfect 
tool for any computer minded teen-ager.

I could go on all day about python but I think I'll just end here by 
giving a list of reasons why I believe you should seriously consider 
using Python in the classroom.

1.  It is fun and quick to write code using.

2.  It is actually very easy and fast to learn.

3.  It is (as earlier mentioned) used in the real world for a variety of 
projects.

4.  It is very well documented and if you have questions, there is 
always somebody out there who had that question at one time and can 
answer yours by means of newsgroup or other internet forum.

5.  It is 100% portable between systems.

6.  It has the coolest mascot. (The snake of course)

7.  I am a high school sophomore myself and I use it for just about 
everything from school assignments to website CGIs.

I hope this helps,
GEM