[drewzero1]

> how "x = x + 1" works

In BASIC you can say "LET X = X + 1" which really helped me grasp the assignment operator when I was starting out.

We used BlueJ in my comp sci intro courses, but I had already taught myself BASIC in high school using QBASIC and making extensive use of the built-in documentation. It was helpful to have some programming experience coming into it. I had to unlearn a lot of outdated or unfashionable practices, though. If I had learned how to use subroutines instead of relying on GOTO that probably would've helped understand methods a little better.

[GoblinSlayer]

When I learned basic in school, the teacher taught to use subroutines, right after flow control statements.

[drewzero1]

That's certainly the benefit of having a teacher. :) I was trying to learn from old books and help documentation, where subroutines seemed to be considered a niche feature for more experienced users.