Ask HN: Want to learn to program... how?

I took a basic programming class in high school about 7 years ago (C++). Our great teacher left about 3/4 through, and the new guy didn't know a lick about programming. In fact, he would take my and a friend's code to use for class demonstrations.

Anyway, the class stagnated, and we didn't learn much for the rest of the year. I tried taking a Java class the next year from the same teacher, and it turned into a 'Web Surfing' class.

I wanted to learn then, but didn't make myself do it. Years have passed, and I still want to learn. I'm interested in web development and iPhone development. So I think I want to learn PHP or Ruby and some variant of C (Objective C, C++, or C).

I'm not a great book-learner, because I don't understand enough of the basics to understand what the book is talking about. I think I would thrive in a tutoring type of atmosphere. I would love to find someone to teach me, but don't know if that's the best route. I have no hesitation from going to a tech college or community college to learn enough so I can start learning on my own.

If you were to start over, what would you recommend? Get over myself and hit the books? Try and find a small classroom environment hoping they teach what I want to learn (again, Ruby for web dev and Objective C for Mac/iPhone dev)? Are there good online courses?

Appreciate your feedback. Thanks!