Saturday, November 28, 2009

Graduation Ceremony

Well I have finally officially graduated!!.

And in the 3 months since I last posted, I have applied for many jobs, gone to several interviews but have had no job offers yet.

I am seriously thinking that employers may be discriminating against me just because I have grey hair. That is why I went back to school. To show them that I have updated my skills.

I really dont want to dye my hair for interviews because then I would have to continue dying it. Hair dye is an expense we just cannot afford.

The below photo was taken last night (Friday November 27th) at my graduation.

In the middle is Sholeh - my instructor. On the left is Selena - one of my best friends from Trios. She did the paralegal course.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Week 58 - I have finally finished my studies



I really did it. I have finally got my DIPLOMA. Here it is.
Please forget that my real name is on this diploma.
I graduated with Distinction. My overall average was 88%
And here is my graduation photo!!!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Week 58 - The Diploma

My Diploma and Transcripts have been issued already. I was told they may take up to 4 weeks. Today is just 10 days after my last class!!!!

I plan to pick them up tomorrow. When I do get my diploma, I will scan and post it plus my graduation photo on this blog.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Week 57 - Final grade posted

My ACCESS grade has finally been posted. I got 87% which is good.
I have one score in the 60s, 3 scores in the 70s and 17 scores in the 80s and 90s.

Which means I should graduate with DISTINCTION. I am very pleased with this.For the first time I have finished something I started. Now if I can just get a job in the middle of this recession.

Goodbye and thanks for following me during my one year back in school. This year has just gone by so fast.

I will stop posting on this blog now, except for photos which I promised I would upload and one last post when I do get my first job.

About that interview I mentioned last week. Well I went to that yesterday and it did not go as well as I had hoped. I am not too worried. It was my first interview in over 12 month. I am definitely out of practise.

Ciao for now everyone.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Week 56 - Day 5

Well that's it. I'm done.

I sat the ACCESS final exam today. I got 70 out of 90 marks. The instructor said I did good on the class project. So hopefully I will get a good final grade.

I rushed around after class taking photos of students and staff. I will put them up next week.

Remember when I said that the first class I took last year turned out to be not part of my official curriculum? Well the school director told me today that my marks for that class will NOT be part of my official transcript. Which is a pity because one of those marks was a perfect score (100%).

Oh well. That makes my average currently 86%. My ACCESS Grade is still to be added in. I expect to Graduate with Distinction. I am actually very proud of this grade.

Thinking back (a long way back) to my one and only year at university straight out of High school. I seem to remember getting all D's in 5 exams and a suspension for one year. I never went back. I wish I had. I do regret not going back.

This diploma more than makes up for the last 25+ years of not knowing what I wanted to do or be.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Week 56 - Day 4

Well, tomorrow is the last day of my Diploma Course. This is also the third and final week of ACCESS. Today we completed the class ACCESS projects and had them marked. Tomorrow is the ACCESS final exam.

These last 12 months have been so much fun. I have really enjoyed myself, a lot more than I thought I would actually. I have really enjoyed learning new skills. I also enjoyed learning how to use new software packages. I love learning new software.

Every other course I have ever started in my life (up until now) for some reason I could never finish. This course I finished. This is a big accomplishment for me.

I have one interview set for next week. Despite sending out my resume to numerous companies over the last 6 weeks, I have not had any responses. I think the recession is biting hard.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Week 55 - Day 6

I promised you a photo of me with S, my favourite Instructor. Well here she is. I am on the left, and S is on the right. The little white blobs on her head are light relections from the bottom edge of her sunglasses. She always wore her sunglasses on her head.


S is not longer at the Toronto Campus of Trios. As I said in an earlier post, S is now teaching at a new campus that opened up last month, and which is a lot closer to her home. Good luck and godspeed S.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Week 55 - Day 4

Just one more week of ACCESS to go, and then I am done for good.

I have been looking for jobs over the last 2 months (June and July) and had absolutely NO bites, NOT one bite, until today.

I have a job interview in 12 days time. My last day of school is in 8 days time.

I am not going to jinx myself by writing any more about it. The details can wait until after the interview.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Week 54 - Day 4

My final grade for Advanced Power Point was 88%.

I have just over 2 weeks to go until I am finished. Right now we are doing ACCESS. I also have an ACCESS project that must be done as well. I cannot believe how fast this year has gone.

Right now I am busy applying for jobs. In this recession that Canada is experiencing (just like everywhere else) I hope I can find a good job.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Week 53 - Day 1

My final grade for MS Outlook was 95%.

So to recap, my final grades for MS Advanced Applications, so far, have been all in the 90s. This is good. It will help my average. If my overall average is on the 80s. I will graduate with Distinction. Nothing wrong with that at all.

The 69 I got for advanced accounting, probably pulled my average down too far to get an overall average in the 90s.

This week we are doing Advanced Powerpoint, and next week we start 3 weeks of Access Database. We are not doing presentations for Powerpoint, thank goodness.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Week 52 - Day 5

I got 90% on the final exam for Outlook today, but that will not be my final grade.

More final grades finally showed up. For Excel my final grade was 94% and for ACCPAC I got 88%. I am very pleased with those grades.

It was S's last day today. One of my classmates took a few pics of various students and me with S. I will put them up, eventually when I get them.

I now have exactly 4 weeks to go.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Week 52 - Day 3

This week the class has been doing Advanced Outlook - things like meetings, appointments, sharing calendars etc etc. Next week is Power Point and then 3 weeks of Access. I am so close to finishing, I can smell it. Literally.

The school puts on a graduation lunch every month for those students graduating or starting an internship that month. Its usually pizza, pop and cake. Well I was invited to the graduation lunch today - because I finish early next month and the next lunch won't happen until after I leave. And I had pizza and some pop. No cake because someone forgot to order it.

I found out that my favourite teacher - whom I have called S in this blog - is leaving the Toronto Campus and moving out to the brand new Brampton campus that opens next week. She lives in Mississauga, and getting to Brampton is a lot easier for her than having to drive all the way into Toronto (a 90 minute trip most mornings) which she has done for the last 7 years. In fact she said that her classes start next Monday. I am so going to miss her. She is a great teacher and she will be missed.

The next graduation ceremony will be on November 26th this year.

Week 51 - Day 5

The class did Advanced Excel this week and we had the final exam today. I got 90% on the exam, and 100% on the assignments. The final grade will have to wait until next week.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Week 50 - Day 5

Well, this week has been interesting.

We had the advanced word exam this week. The instructor has a policy of marking assignments and exams immediately so I had my final grade for Advanced Word the day after we sat the final exam. I got 95%. We are now doing Advanced Excel. The final exam for that will be next week.

All year I have had trouble with my final end date. Officialy its has been July 10th, but thats 3 weeks too early. I officially finish on August 7th. This week I finally discovered why there was a discrepancy.

That basic computer course I did right at the beginning was not a course that I should have taken. I really should have started 3 weeks later in early August with Career Management (which was my second class). Thus my student loan did not pay for that first 3 week class so I got it for free. The Swiss boy who started at the same time as me, also got that free course as well. So that is why my end day has always been wrong.

And for those of you who have not yet heard, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson both died yesterday.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Week 49 - Day 6

Day 6 - Saturday. We have finished the first week of Advanced Word/Excel. I have learnt how to do tables and lists, and how to do footnotes, endnotes, contents and an index. Have also learnt how to do a mail merge. Very useful stuff to know. The final exam will be on Tuesday next week and then we have 8 days of Excel.

I am so much less stressed out these days. Partly because I have completed this course, (the first one I have ever managed to finish) and partly beacuse I have lost so much weight while studying. Not because I was stressed out, but because with only one income, there was not much money to buy healthy food. So I ate rice for most of the year. Right now, I am busy applying for jobs.

This year has gone by so fast. They say when you are enjoying yourself, time just flies by. Then I must have been totally enjoying myself during my lessons because I can still remember the day I started school as if it were yesterday.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Week 48 - Day 5

Last day of accounting today. I finally got my advanced accounting result. I knew it would not be good. I got 69%. My lowest mark so far. Like I said, I am not a numbers person.

Next week I have the final classes - Advanced MS applications.
Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and Access database.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Week 48 - Day 4

Depite missing two days of school this week I think I did ok in the final A/R exam we just had this morning.

The reason for missing school - FLU. Courtesy of my spouse and my son. They get the flu every year, but this year it was far worse than usual. So bad that spouse was just too sick to babysit our son. I had no choice but to stay home. For some reason I have not caught the flu. As one friends mentioned today, maybe thats because I am no longer as run down and overweight as I used to be, at this time last year. I guess losing 50 pounds definitely does makes a difference to ones health

I was able to get to school to do the final project today. The teacher says she will be going back to the beginning of the accounting cycle next week - book keeping fundamentals and all the accounting software. I must admit that I thought that the accounting would drag, but it hasn't really.

We are still waiting for the Advanced Accounting results - which we finished 4 weeks ago. Next week I got back to J (teacher) for the final courses - Advanced MS applications - Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and Access.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Week 47 - Day 1

Week 3 of ACCPAC.

This week we are doing the Accounts Payable module for ACCPAC and will have the project for A/P to do later on.

Next week we will do the A/R modules.

I now have just 2 months to go until I finish this diploma.
I have to admit the last 11 months have flown by just SO FAST!!!!

I am now looking for jobs, but dont expect to get one before the end of July, because I still have 2 months to go, and most companies usually need someone to start ASAP.

Week 46

Second Week of ACCPAC. We had to do the first project for ACCPAC this week. We had to set up a fictional company, and do some general ledger transactions.

Two days later we had the second project - a small project setting up the taxes and banking services module for our fictional company.

The Quickbooks result finally turned up. I got 78%. I could have done better.
The class is still waiting for the Advanced Accounting results.

Week 45

First week of ACCPAC. Lots of different modules and permissions to deal with just to set up the (practice) company. So easy to make mistakes.

There are some areas where if you make one mistake, you have NO CHOICE, but to start all over again. ACCPAC is NOT a forgiving program to use. There are also a lot of general ledger transactions as well.

There are no "exams" for this class, but we get 4 different practical projects to do during the month.

Still no Quickbooks results.
I also went to see the movie - Angels & Demons - my second birthday treat.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Week 44 - Day 6

Today is Friday, the last day of Advanced Accounting. YIPPEE
I have never been so glad to finish a class as I am with this class. I really am NOT a numbers person. The class had another quiz on Wednesday and the final exam today. I think I did ok, but as always, I will have to wait and see.

We still don't have the results from the Quickbooks class, which ended 4 weeks ago. Then again the teacher who teaches the Quickbooks course is the same person teaching the Advanced Accounting and she doesnt have time to mark our papers. She also teaches a marketing course in the afternoons, as well.

Week 43

I did not do so well on the first quiz. But did better on the second quiz. Also had a "mid term exam" at the end of week 42. This week is the 3rd week of accounting.

Nothing much else happened. But I did go and to see the new Star Trek Movie (aka Star Trek 11). I actually really enjoyed it. That was my birthday treat - well one of them anyway.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Week 42 - Day 2

Had a quiz today. Should have had it on friday but with so many formulae to learn, the class begged to be allowed to study over the weekend and do the quiz on Monday. The instructor agreed.

I did not study as much as I should have. Out of the 4 questions, I aced one, did some parts of two other questions and left the 4th question page blank as I totally forgot to read that chapter over the weekend. I will be lucky if I even get 50% on this quiz.

We have a mid term exam on Friday this week - covering all of last weeks and this weeks work. Then there are 2 more weeks of accounting to get through.

I am hoping I can get a final grade in the 70s at least. That will not bring my average down too much.

Week 41

Week 41

The first week of Advanced Accounting.

Now we are doing amortization in more details including tangible and intengible assets. Also calculating and recording bad debts, analysing financial statements, doing partnership and corporations accounting, as well as shares and bonds accounting.

I really so NOT like accounting. Not this advanced stuff.
I am ok to trial balance and A/R & A/P. I always had trouble with depreciation (before it was called amortization).

I never was much of a numbers person. I have always preferred words to numbers. Which is why I keep so many blogs.

Stil waiting for the Quickbooks final grade.

Week 40

Week 40

The second week of Quickbooks. Still waiting for my final grade

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Week 39 - Day 7

Its the middle of Easter today - Saturday to be precise. I had no school yesterday (Friday) so I took my son to the movies. We went to see the cartoon movie Monsters and Aliens. I actually ended up enjoying it a lot.

I also have my final grade for Accounting Fundamentals. I got 79%. Iam a little disappointed. I feel that it should have been higher. I am going to have to work harder on my Accounting, and to keep my GPA up. Advanced Accounting starts 9 days from today. I want to graduate wi8th distinction - that is, with a GPA in the 80s overall.

Next week I have to be back in school on Monday (13th) doing the second week of Quickbooks. While my son gets to stay home on Easter Monday (because all the public schools, and daycares are closed) I have been able to switch my class for that day, so that I do the afternoon class, rather than having to get up early and being out the door by 7.15 AM as we usually are.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Week 38 - Day 1

My final grade for Simply Accounting software finally showed up today. I got 88%. I am very pleased with that. I find that I generally do better with software than working with numbers directly.

This week the class is learning about current liabilities, and how to do retail and inventory accounting.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Week 37 - Day 5

I have been so busy, I forgot to post. Sorry.

Last week was Week 36 (March 16th - 20th) AKA March Break and I was home for the week. Didnt do anything exciting.

This week is now week 37 and we are at the end of the first week of accounting fundamentals. This involves what used to be called depreciation - and is now called amortization. The class has also done adjustments, adjusted trial balance, financial statements, closing posts & post closing trial balance.

Then today (Friday) we started doing Retail accounting. Up until now we have been working with accounts from service companies. Now there is an extra step in the retail sector in that for every sale you make, you have to account for the inventory as well (assuming a perpetual inventory system).

Next week we will do continue with the retail accounting and then do current liabilities before we do the final exam.

When I graduate, I hope to get a job, in one of the following industry sector.
Government at any level, (although there is news this week that the Toronto City Hall is downsizing staff and freezing salaries due to the recession).
Service business
Non-profit business
Publishing business
Media business.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Week 35 - Day 1

I finally received my Book-Keeping Final grade today. I made 84%. I could have done better. Part of that final grade comes from the poor showing I did on the final exam. I made just 59/80 on the final exam. That's 73%. You should have seen my paper - RED crosses and circles all over it, and a few red ticks. I definitely should have done better in learning the basics.

This week is the second week of Simply Accounting. I'm finding this a lot easier because it is basically just "filling in the blanks" for the accounting software.

Occasionally some entries must be done in the General Journal where we do need to know which side of the entry is debited and which side is credited.

Next week is March break - where ALL schools in Ontario are off. Daylight savings started yesterday so while it is now dark again in the early morning, its light for longer at nights. And to make things even more weird - it actually SNOWED this morning. But the snow did not settle and was gone by lunch time.

After March Break I will be doing 2 weeks of Accounting Fundamentals. I expect to learn things like depreciation and writing off expenses for tax purposes. After this course there is another software course - Quickbooks - for 2 weeks.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Week 34 - Day 3

Basic Bookkeeping has finished, but I am still waiting for the grade.

This week we are learning how to use the Simply Accounting software package. I am finding this easy - because you dont have to decide what is debit or credit. The software does that for you. You just need to decide which is the right journal to use. It is a purchase or a sale? Was it on credit or cash? I have always found software easy to use, and the more I use it, the easier it gets. I am a hands on learner, but also a visual learner as well.

Today for example. I finished my assignment in class. while we could go home once we had finsihed (and some of the others did choose to leave early) I chose to stay and help a couple of other students who were struggling, and I have also received an email from a third student asking questions.

Simply accounting will take two weeks - this week and next week. The following week we get a week off - March Break. The same week as all the schools.

Because this is an easy subject, I am able to read a bit more than usual, and with march break coming up, I hope to catch up on some challenges.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Week 33 - Day 3

Now into the second week of accounting and it is consuming my life. I get so much homework, I cannot find any time to read for pleasure. The homework is a struggle to complete. It's not because I thought it would be hard, but more because I find it boring. I can find no interest in it. So the next 4 months will be very tough.

I really do prefer working with words rather than with numbers.

So far we have done Journalising, general ledger, trial balance, petty cash and today we did bank reconciliations. Tomorrow we do Payroll. Thursday we do review and Friday is the exam and end of class.

Next week we will learn Simply Accounting software for two weeks.

As for the early morning schedule changeover, it turned out to be a non-issue. My son has taken the change in routine in his stride and is enjoying the extra hour he gets to be with his friends at daycare before they have to leave for school.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Week 32 - Day 2

Monday was a holiday so today was the first day back at school after the week off. It was also the switch to a morning schedule, and it actually went off without a hitch.

I was up at 5.30 am. Had a shower and got dressed. Got my son out of bed at 6.30 (half an hour earlier than usual). As per the routine, he watched ONE half hour TV program, then the TV went off. He then got dressed and we were out the door by 7.15 am. Plenty of time to get to daycare before it opens at 7.30 am.

My 6 year old son has decided that going to daycare nice and early, is fun because he gets to play Boggle - a game he enjoys. He also has breakfast there as well. Having never heard of Boggle before, I have just read the description I linked to and I am thrilled to learn that Boggle is a word game.

My son's reading skills and his vocabulary are very very good. Only his writing skills are lagging behind. He was given 2 joke books for Valentines day last week, by one of his school teachers. So we have been reading jokes to each other at bed time for the last 5 night. I am astounded at the words he is reading. For example, one joke had the words operation and surgery in it. He knew operation but did not know surgery. Most 6 year olds would not know how to read either of those words.

I got to school at 7.55 this morning which is excellent timing. Today was the first day of accounting. We learned a bit about the ethics and reasons for accounting, and the 4 principles (cost, monetary unit, economic entity and going concern) as well as THE accounting equation. ASSETS = LIABILITIES + OWNERS EQUITY

The teacher asked us for our background in accounting (if we had any) and also how we felt about accounting. She knows that a lot of people hate it - or at least are afraid of it. I have done a smattering of accounting over the years. I did bookkeeping in high school some 30 years ago. I had a one year city council job about 20 years ago where I did job costing and really enjoyed it. And 10 years ago, I learnt the basics of MYOB, a software accounting program, similar to Quickbooks. So no, I am not afraid.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Week 31 - Day 3

The last two grades have arrived.
I got 88% for MS Outlook and 92% for Business Communications.
So far my average over all my courses - 89%

I have this week off, and interestingly enough I find myself being BORED. Quite unexpected. I would rather be learning than have a break. But I did find something new to learn about this week.

Informations System Auditing. ISACA
This involves accounting and financial auditing as well as auditing the system software. One must ensure that all accounting procedures and Computer information systems comply with the laws of the country where the business is located.

I have always been interested in compliance laws, and I think that maybe I would like to become an auditor. One can learn to be an IS auditor by working in financial or IS auditing and by sitting an exam to become a CISA - a Certified Informational Systems Auditor. I found the Review book for the CISA exams at the library. It looked interesting so I borrowed it.

One of the reason I like this career is because it does not involve the technical aspects of the computer system. I dont need to know how the system or networks work. I just need to know that they work correctly to provide a result that is in compliance with the laws.

One other thing. For those of you who might follow the Groundhog day tradition...on February 3rd this year, several ground hogs in both USA and Canada cast shadows indicating that winter would last another 6 weeks.

However in the week following that forecast, the weather has in fact turned warmer. Right now as I type this, it is raining outside, not snowing. The snow on the ground is MELTING and the temperatures are in fact ABOVE ZERO degrees Celcius.

I hereby announce that groundhog day is a load of bull. I also state unequivocally that the calendar needs to be fixed up ASAP because it is currently 4 to 6 weeks out of sync with the seasons.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Week 30 - Day 4

Well my Power Point grade finally showed up.
I got 81%. I would have gotten a better mark if I had studied.
I did not do so good in the final exam.
I got 23/40 which is 57.5 percent. Not good at all.
I loved using Powerpoint, but I don't really like all the theory.
Name the 3 ways you can create a new slide.
I prefer to find one comfortable way and stick to that.

Still waiting for Outlook result.
We sit the Business Communications exam tomorrow.
Next week I have off.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Week 30 - Day 2

Well we finally finished Outlook. Did the exam on Monday (yesterday). Now we are doing Business Communications. Next week I have a week off and the week after that I will be switching to a morning schedule. Its going to be a tough changeover - not just for me but for my family as well - especially for my son who is almost 7 years old. I will be learning all the accounting software as well as how to do accounting.

A morning schedule means that my son's schedule changes too. He will not longer be able to watch TV in the AM. Daycare opens at 7.30, so he will need to be up, dressed, fed and at daycare by 7.30. That gives ne half an hour to grab a bus and get to school for an 8 AM start time.

Right now I am still waiting on Powerpoint and Outlook Final grades.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Week 29 - Day 2

We are supposed to be doing Outlook this week, but due to unforeseen circumstances, Outlook has been delayed - until tomorrow hopefully.

Power Point had to be extended by two extra days. Partly because we had to squeeze seven lessons into one week and partly because every student had to create a powerpoint presentation and present it to the class.

Everyone had a lot of problems getting their presentations done on time. So today was P-day. Presentation Day.

Topics ranged from Aloe Vera, Pet World and Muay Thai, through piano, cricket, rugby, Italy to Canada, New Zealand and Grenada.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Week 28 - Day 3

The Excel grade has been posted. I got 92%. I am very pleased with that. The more grades I can get in the 90's over the next 3 weeks, the better off I will be.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Week 28 - Day 2

January 20th, 2009.
Barak Obama was sworn in as the new President of the USA today. I didnt see see any of the ceremoney or celebrations. I was in class.

This week I am doing Power Point.

The main assigment for everyone in the class is to create a presentation for the end of the week. On something that is close to your heart, that you have a lot of knowledge of. So I am doing mine on the South Island in New Zealand.

As my profile says, I am from New Zealand. I was born and raised in the North Island and spent a few years in the South Island as well. Altogether I lived in the North island for 26 years and the South Island for 7 years. But I found the South Island to have a much greater variety of activities and natural beauty.

I hope to be able to put my presentation on this blog when it is finished.

Still waiting for my Excel final grade.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Week 27 - Day 3

My final grade for MS Word was 89%. My average over all my courses so far is 89.5. I need to get grades in the 90's for the next 3 weeks. This is to build up a good base for the Bookkeeping and Accounting classes, which start in February. My final 3 courses in Applications are Powerpoint, Outlook (email) and Business Communications.

The winter weather here is very very cold. -22 Celcius, and -30 Celcius with the windchill factor. Very very cold. The Tv says that it has not been this cold since 2005. That makes sense because I remember walking to work in the extreme cold weather, in the winter of 2005. I was working just 3 blocks from home at the time.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Week 26 - Day 5

I finally got my mark for the Business Practice class last year. I got 84% as a final grade - which is pretty good. It's a good mark considering I hadn't had much time to study for the final exam, because my team was too busy working on the business plan project. I need to find out how we did on that final business plan presentation.

And I also need to work on getting more final grade marks in the 90's if I want to graduate with honours rather than distinction (average mark in 80s).

With Accounting classes coming up in February, I am not sure I can do that, but I certainly will try.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Week 26 - Day 3

Did I mention that TRIOS has upgraded all the computers at the Toronto campus from the old bulky ones (the big huge monitors and CPU towers) to nice sleek flat screen monitors with very small CPU towers? These towers are barely 1/3 the size of the old towers.

There are 8 classrooms and assuming an average of 20 computers per room, thats a total of 160 new computers, towers and monitors installed over the 2 weeks of the Xmas vacation.

These new computers all have the VISTA operating system (the old ones were XP) but they are still running MS Office 2003. So far I havent had any problems with VISTA.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Week 26 - Day 1

I am back in school today after the Xmas and new Year vacation. The class has settled down to do Excel for the next 2 weeks. From now on all classes will be half days 5 days per week - no more Fridays off.

I have 2 weeks of Excel, one week each of Powerpoint, Outlook email and Business Communications. Then I have one week off school before my schedule switches to early mornings starts. Which is 6 weeks from now.

I am NOT looking forward to the new schedule. But if the teachers have to do it - then so do I.

Still no grades for Business Practices and Word, but I was told that the person who usually inputs the grades into the database, is still away on vacation. She is expected to return on Thursday, so hopefully I will have some results by Friday.

As for the home front - my son has been coughing for most of last week - the new year break. He was supposed to go back to school today. But he is having a lot of trouble getting rid of the phlegm in his throat. He woke up panicking this morning because he couldnt breathe. His throat was blocked by phlegm and his nose seems to have been blocked by sinuses. So he stayed home from school today.

I did half a day - 7am till noon - babysitting, and his daddy babysat the other half - 12 noon till 5pm when I got home from school. My son is doing fine now, although he is still coughing. He will be going back to school tomorrow. Daddy is also coughing as well. Knock on wood that so far I have not caught their cough and flu bugs. I cannot afford to miss one day of school. So far I have a perfect attendance record.