> I think this is significantly more common than you think it is.

For context: it was the first language taught in my CS degree in 2014. They switched to Python from Java due to its pedagogical advantages - namely, students being able to focus more on the high-level algorithmic semantics than on language design minutiae (Java) or memory management / poor diagnostics (C).

I wasn't a fan of the decision at the time, but I certainly see why they did it in hindsight!