I think there's a better argument for C than for C++. There's probably some value in having to do something by hand and then seeing how much of that work isn't

I think there's a better argument for C than for C++. There's probably some value in having to do something by hand and then seeing how much of that work isn't necessary when you move on to a higher-level language. The C++ specific stuff like the STL will probably be distracting for beginners.