Typing is not an old-fashioned skill. As a writer, I compose directly onto the screen and I can type as fast as I think. This isn't to say that I think really slow, either! If you think that you can leave PDHT with a typing speed of less than 40wpm and do well at work, you are kidding yourself. Even technicians and web masters have to respond to e-mail quickly. You can't take all morning to type three or four e-mail responses! "Chatting" on the internet is a good way to increase your typing speed. And, since you have to take a typing course anyway, why not work on your touch typing? Why not use the right fingers? No one can force you to do this, but I guarantee that you can type much faster if you do. One of the best ways to increase your speed is simply to type anything (from a magazine, the newspaper, a novel) for 10 minutes a day. Don't correct your errors—who cares! Just go as fast as you can and let yourself make mistakes without worrying about it. As unscientific as this sounds, your speed will increase if you force yourself to go fast and not worry about making mistakes. You can always slow down later and go for control and accuracy.
We are all adults and adults can make responsible decisions. That means you are free to decide not to come to class. But along with this freedom goes the responsibility to suffer the consequences. You are responsible for whatever material is covered in your absence. If a teacher decides to give a test that day, or collect in-class work for grades, you are out of luck. You cannot ask me to "catch you up" on what you missed. I will not re-teach what I have already presented in class. You cannot ask me for handouts that you missed. I don't keep track of your presence in my class and often I have no idea which handouts were given out the day you were away. So please get your "buddy" to make notes for you, pick up handouts, and let you know what assignments were handed out during classes that you missed.
At school and at work, we are given a certain number of "sick days". At John Abbott, we are usually given the chance to miss four class periods in a term, if our class is a 60-hour class and if it meets twice a week. If you are sick, you don't need to worry too much because you can miss these four classes. Of course, if you miss information or in-class working time, you are responsible for making it up. That will not be easy for you. That's why workers usually struggle into work even when they are feeling lousy. Suppose you are very ill and need to miss more than four class periods to get better. In this case, you must speak to an advisor in student services. They will send an official form to your teachers and you will need to make alternative arrangements to complete the term. In extreme cases, some teachers at the college have not permitted seriously ill or hospitalized students to finish the term. That is their prerogative, but most teachers are very understanding about this.