Please don't go making sweeping generalizations. Most of the "modern educators" I know (I know many as I am one myself) want nothing to do with the coding initiative, especially the elementary school teachers. They feel precisely as you have said, lets teach them the basics first. Hell, some primary teachers I know would be happy if they could get their kids to keep their fingers out of their mouths and use a kleenex once in a while.

The coding initiative is not something the majority of teachers are sitting around planning to unleash on their students. It has been externally mandated and something they are being forced to do.