The "journey" I imply began in August, 1961, when I returned from Study Leave in the States, with wife, Esther, 7-year-old son, Timmy, and 4-year-old son, Chris, to Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germán, P. R. I became Head of The Department of Mathematics and Physics.

IAU, at this time, had students from 65 countries around the world, many from new countries in the Carribean and Africa.

After one semester of teaching, I realized that what was bunched in one Introductory Mathematics Class should be broken up into three classes, because of the diverse background of the students. But it couldn't be, so I embarked on an entirely new program -- which I believe was unique in all the World.

Before leavng the States, I had informed myself about a new teaching structure, known as "Programed Material" (the one "m" was conventional for this subject).

A CONCEPT or PROCEDURE was explained in writing. Then the student was given a problem or question to TEST HIS/HER ABSORPTION OF THIS. After responding, THE STUDENT WAS SHOWN THE CORRECT ANSWER. If CORRECT WITHOUT GUESSING, THE STUDENT WENT ON TO THE NEXT CONCEPT OR PROCEDURE. If INCORRECT, or GOT BY WITH GUESSING, THE STUDENT WAS TUTORED ON THE ITEM AND TESTED OVER IN A NEW FORM OF PROBLEM OR QUESTION.

In this way, A STUDENT WENT AT HER/HIS OWN "SPEED".

In the absence of any published material on the math subjects involved, I wrote my own PROGRAMMED MATERIAL, typing on stencils to be mimeographed into print.

Often I typed late at night, after our sons were asleep, with a black cat, Princey, sitting on my head. Princey would sit at my feet; then climb in my lap; then onto my shoulders; then onto my head, where he kept his balance as I typed away.

I published locally a book, The Algebras, comprised of The Algebra of Arithmetic, The Algebra of Sets, The Algebra of Relations, The Algebra of Statements. Along with it, I developed 100 Standard Tasks -- test problems which every student must solve under a "Pass-Fail" Grading System. A student attempted a "Task" only when ready. If correct, he/she prepared for another "Task". If incorrect, nothing went into the record, but the student must try again -- ON A DIFFERENT VERSION OF THE SAME PROBLEM. My list of "Tasks" comprised what I thought you need to survive in today's society. Most of these problems are not taught or tested anywhere.

I had good reason for such a demanding program. In 1961, economic conditions in Puerto Rico was so good that families who had fled to the States for a better life now came back. This swamped the schools of the Island, particularly the high schools, which had not prepared for this. The San Germ´n High school ran on three shifts: 6 AM to Noon; Noon to 6 PM; 6PM to Midnight. And there was a great shortage of teachers, particularly in Mathematics and in Sciences, which used English language textbooks. Any person who passed a course such as mine and could read English could walk into a high school and start teaching immediately. So I wanted my graduates to have found correct answers to these problems -- in a program that made CHEATING IMPOSSIBLE.

I soon had programed material for all the courses in the Mathematics Curriculum, except for state-side published books inThe Fortran Programming Language and in PERT.

I procured a room, where I might have up to 100 students working on 10 or 15 different courses at a time, in Programed Material. I had two assistants, one from Kenya, the other from British Guiana (later known as Guyana). We roamed the classroom, personally tutoring those who needed help. Some students (such as my assistants) completed two or three courses in one semester. Others took two semesters or more to complete a one semester course. But they absorbed all of it. (I assigned "F" only when a student gave up.)

But one aspect of this still bothered me. I remembered courses which I'd looked forward to in order to learn certain concepts and procedures I'd heard about -- only to spend most of the semester without encountering these. (Elsewhere, I mention that 7 of us compared notebooks for allegedly the same Math course at Columbia U., only to find that no concept or procedure was in common to those 7 versions! "Truth in Catalogs!") And, alert to this, I became aware of disappointment and frustration on the part of many of my best students.

So I imagined a Math Course programed such that each student could begin it, and go through it, in his/her own way. But how to arranged this?

I read in Science Magazine of a special microfilm system which might allow such diversity. I tried for years to learn more about it. But today's HYPERLINKING WOULD ALLOW EXACTLY THAT!

So my dream of forty years is now possible. But I am too old and too busy to carry this out myself. I hope to inspire some of you to undertake it.