[zahlman]

That should be the beginning of the formative experience for that kid rather than the end. Yes, you can. How often do you? What are you missing by not thinking about problems in that way more often? What idioms could be unlocked that way? (How many Python programmers out there are aping wholly unnecessary "design patterns" created for C++ or Java? Or rather: shouldn't a design pattern be about the design rather than the implementation? What is a design, in the pure abstract, really?)

[cs_throwaway]

Don’t worry, aforementioned kid is doing just fine, machine learning PhD IIRC. There is a lot of other remarkable stuff in modern computing.

[zahlman]

Oh, I don't doubt that. Smart kids usually land on their feet just fine (and even when they don't, they cope and mask their problems better). But when I get the opportunity to teach things, I strive to allow smart students to rise to their own level.