Having taught a high school programming class using each language, I want to throw in my two cents. I am a math teacher who (having both academic training and experience in CS) was willing to teach a programming class when I arrived at my current school in 2000. To prepare students for the AP CS class, students were required to take a one semester class in programming. My colleague was using C++ (then the AP language) as the vehicle for introducing programming. Although I was comfortable with C, I did not think that C++ would work well, so I too went off to the net and found Python. I really liked Python, but was somewhat concerned about having to develop my own curriculum. In 2000, there was not as many Python resources available as there are now. Through this very list, I discovered TeachScheme and attended a workshop during the summer of 2001. I really liked the TeachScheme philosophy and the availablility of the text _How to Design Programs_, online. (I teach in a public high school where resources are very limited.) In scheme, the focus is really on design ideas and not on syntax -- not that Python syntax is that difficult. I don't have a clear preference for either language. I think both are good places for students to begin. The advantage of TeachScheme (for me) was the well designed curriculum. My sense is that students have more fun with Python. At any rate, I am now very happy to limit my CS involvement to monitoring this list, while all of my teaching is limited to geometry and calculus. -Bruce Bruce Cohen | e-mail: bic@cgl.ucsf.edu Lowell High School | http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/home/bic