I would not recommend Scheme as a first language.  The syntax is too far from what we normally use, so it provides a barrier to learning.<p>Ruby:<p><pre><code>  a = 7 * 8 + 10
</code></pre>
Scheme:<p><pre><code>  (let ((a (+ (10 (* 7 8)))))
</code></pre>
Ruby:<p><pre><code>  print "you are big" if height &#62; 80
</code></pre>
Scheme:<p><pre><code>  (if (&#62; height 80) (display "you are big"))</code></pre>