I wrote some similar thoughts here: http://lisperator.net/blog/why-lisp/ (in the "organic growth" section). Sadly I don't get to do much Lisp these days, but it remains my favorite programming language (CL, more exactly).

And yeah, it's sad that "programming-as-teaching" fades out of fashion. Now that I know what it's like, working in an environment that doesn't support it always leaves a bitter taste. Let's just hope more people try it, because it's addictive.