Your first programming language doesn&#x27;t have to be a practical language, and it doesn&#x27;t have to be powerful. Small languages which allow students to master the entirety of the language are a better tool for building confidence and teaching elementary ideas like sequence, variables and iteration. For the first steps of dipping your toes into programming, BASIC is better than Python. An ideal curriculum will expose students to a progression of languages as they outgrow the limits of each environment.