>>54
I agree with you on that point. Java/BASIC should NOT be the first thing people learn. If the kids try and fail at Assembly language, then they can pick up Java. Essentially this weeds out the incompetents at an earlier age before they get into CompSci 101.
More generally, there needs to be more of an "experimentation" mindset in high schools. There has been a large shift in the past couple of decades by parents to shove their kids through as many organized activities as possible.
While structured activities does help their social development and work ethic, by removing unstructured activity, creativity is stifled.
Also, (empirical) science classes are not structured in a "discovery" manner. High school chemistry classes are structured so that the laws of nature are presented with not enough focus on how they were discovered. What's even worse is that all chemistry tests are essentially math tests where you have to use the rules of chemistry to solve problems based upon what is observed in the problem. But in reality, it is our observations that define our models, and I don't think that this is stressed enough.
Finally, I would demote English to an elective. After middle school, English essentially turns into discussion about Shakespeare, Poetry and Novels, which are of no more importance than any other arts course. In high school, perhaps one half of the English course could be mandatory: language fundamentals, improving writing style. The second half would be an elective: literature, technical writing, rhetoric, philosophy, whatever the student wants to do.