AEM Academy
Help Your Child Master Formal Writing
For over 20 years, the AEM Academy writing program has been helping children in grades 5-10 master the fundamentals of academic writing and get FAR ahead of their peers, even if they are currently struggling with writing.
For the first time, weekday daytime classes and 1-1 tutoring are available.
Your child can easily become a great writer with the AEM Academic English Mastery program, which focuses on research-based practices that lead to the greatest level of writing improvement.
The AEM Academy Great Writing System gives students the benefits of an elite, classical grammar school education in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost.
However, the AEM Academy program goes far beyond a traditional grammar school education. This is because the level of feedback needed to quickly improve in writing is impossible for a classroom teacher to provide. In contrast, the AEM Academy program provides students with the “Rolls Royce” of writing support: every single writing task that students complete is given detailed, colour-coded feedback, and then students revise their work for additional rounds of feedback and corrections. This mimics the approach used by writers and editors, and it leads to rapid progress in writing skill.
Learning centers and apps cannot provide this level of support. Many parents call me due to their frustration with popular writing programs. After months of “training” that relies mainly on easy-to-mark worksheets or multiple-choice online exercises, their child’s writing has barely improved in real world applications on school assignments. As many parents have realized, getting 100% on a controlled worksheet or receiving automated feedback on a simple, isolated exercise does not mean your child can successfully complete a longer writing task for school.
In terms of feedback on writing received in school, children often wait weeks or even months for assignments to be returned with feedback. Back in January, a colleague who teaches grade 11 English for the Toronto District School Board admitted to me that she still hadn't returned her students' essays that they submitted in November. She said she is bored to tears reading essays that no one enjoyed writing about a book that no one enjoyed reading (it was required by the department head). This situation is tragic but all too common.
In contrast, in the AEM writing program, students receive their feedback by the morning after they submit it. Students then revise their work based on the feedback, and again receive corrections and additional guidance on how to take their work to the next level. After basic problems are fixed, students build on their ideas by adding details and evidence for their thinking, which are requirements in academic writing. In this way, the AEM Academy writing program offers parents an alternative approach that blends a traditional, elite grammar school education with modern technology to ensure the fastest progress in writing.
The AEM Academic English Mastery system is based on four pillars:
1. Mastery of foundational grammar rules: We make sure children know how to use all 12 tenses in the verb system, understand the parts of speech and basics of sentence structure, and avoid killer mistakes like run-ons and fragments.
2. Mastery of the complex sentence system: Learning 23 commonly used sentence structures leads to the greatest level of writing improvement. Children have fun learning all the different ways they can express their ideas by transforming and combining simple structures into complex structures. This makes the biggest difference to the quality of student writing, more than any other type of exercise.
3. Mastery of essay and report format: We have developed a powerful framework that teaches students EXACTLY what to write in every sentence of any essay or report, without restricting creativity in any way. This frees students from ever wondering what to include in a writing task and is 100% effective at the elementary, high school, and university levels. In my opinion, this is the most effective writing SYSTEM that has ever been developed. This is especially helpful for students who don't know how to get started writing or don't know how to develop ideas.
4. Mastery of the writing process: Successful students don't just start writing. They know that what you do BEFORE you start writing is MORE important than what you do after you start writing. Successful students treat writing as a process and end up with superior results. We teach students how to understand instructions and success criteria, brainstorm and develop relevant ideas, find information from reliable sources, organize information and structure an outline, write drafts, edit, reference, and avoid plagiarism. In fact, not only does this help with the writing process itself, but it actually improves intelligence. This is because the brainstorming and outlining stages identify gaps in knowledge, which students fill in through research. Writing should lead to learning!
The writing feedback system is the foundation of the program.
Learning to write requires a lot of writing – there is no avoiding this. For that reason, the AEM Academic English Writing program provides the most meaningful writing practice of any writing program, as well as the highest quality feedback.
Our students see rapid results because they receive more writing support than in any other writing program on Earth! In many typical classes, students receive teacher feedback - which is often too vague to be useful - on only a handful of writing assignments during an entire semester. Students often get the feedback weeks after submitting their work, they barely remember the assignment, and don't do anything with the feedback. In contrast, in the AEM writing system, students receive color-coded, detailed feedback on each one of their three weekly assignments, and then they revise their work and have it re-checked to make sure they fully understand how to correct their errors. Getting feedback quickly and then incorporating the feedback into revisions keeps writing concepts top-of-mind and students progress quickly. Timely, detailed, and consequential follow-up makes a massive difference in student achievement.
Let's talk about helping your child write well. Schedule a free 30-minute information session to get a detailed assessment of your child's writing and plan for their future success.
Use the form below or call 416-822-2637.
Send me (Jan) a message describing the typical issues your child faces with writing. You can include a recent writing sample with or without teacher feedback (please include the OneDrive, DropBox, or Google Drive link), or I can provide an appropriate prompt. Within 24 hours, we'll set up a telephone or Zoom call where we'll go over your child's writing in depth and talk about how to help your child get far ahead in writing.
Who designed the program?
My name is Jan Waginski and I am a certified teacher in Ontario. In over 20 years of teaching academic writing, I have developed a powerful system that transforms young learners from struggling to confident writers. This method has helped hundreds of my students, many of whom were reluctant writers when they started. In fact, it's common for a "B" or even a "C" student to become an "A" student after only a short period of training. When students master the foundations of writing, their grades soar on EVERY writing assignment in EVERY class.
Mr. Jan's teaching worked miracles on my language skills. All the advice and his teaching methods, especially the T.R.E.E.S. paragraph format*, improved my writing skills significantly.
Additionally, the grammar rules and the new words he taught us were incredibly helpful as well. I was able to score 95% in English this year, all thanks to him.
Thank you very much Mr. Jan for teaching me everything I needed to learn about this complex language. I am forever indebted to you!
SAHELI J. - STUDENT IN MISSISSAUGA
Saheli was new to Canada and had just completed ESL with an average grade. In high school English, she wasn't getting the instruction she needed on the fundamentals of grammar and composition, which were her main areas of weakness. In fact, her teachers NEVER TAUGHT GRAMMAR or the principles of essay writing! As a result, Saheli's grades were low and her mom was very worried that Saheli would continue to make the same mistakes and never learn to write properly.
After her mom found AEM Academy, Saheli quickly learned the essential principles of essay writing, the verb tense system, and complex sentences. Her grades began to increase ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, and as her skills and confidence grew, she produced longer, well-researched assignments that were beautifully written. SHE ENDED UP WITH 95% in grade 9 English. What's more, her English grades are higher than almost every native speaker's in her class and she no longer needs any help in English.
Congratulations, Saheli!
*T.R.E.E.S. paragraph format is a powerful writing system I developed based on research into writing patterns used by professionals. Students love the T.R.E.E.S. system because it tells them EXACTLY what content to include in each sentence of each paragraph and what order to put ideas in. It takes away the mystery of what to write and how to organize what you write. What's best is that it is fully adaptable and works 100% effectively in all situations, it does not limit creativity, and the reader will never detect it.
HUGE grade increases in EVERY subject are typical results, which can open BIG DOORS.
Both grammar and content problems are easy to fix with direct instruction in the fundamentals of good writing. For that reason, this course fills in the HUGE gaps left by school and transforms students into effective writers, which raises their grades in EVERY subject and helps them surpass their peers.
Saheli's level of success - getting 95% in grade 9 English after completing the AEM writing program - is NOT unusual. Every single student sees a massive increase in grades as they 1) learn the principles of well-organized writing and 2) as grammar errors decrease. This is not just in English. These are skills for life that increase grades in EVERY SUBJECT since communication skills count for 15-25% of course marks.
For these reasons, this program is the single best investment you can make in your child's education. You will see a complete transformation in your child as they quickly master writing skills, complete writing tasks with ease, and see the amazing results. As your child gains confidence in writing skills, school becomes a lot more fun!
Moreover, the benefits of the program are not just in writing:
- Strong oral communication skills develop from strong writing skills. Presentations and speeches share the same structures and rhetorical devices (persuasive techniques) as essays.
- Reading comprehension skills improve dramatically when students learn to write. Students start to notice how most non-fiction writing (which is most of what children read in school) follows the same predictable structures that students are learning to use in their own writing.
- Writing well is a requirement for positions of leadership. Managers and executives spend much of their time informing and persuading in writing.
- Writing is “thinking on the page.” When students learn the 5-step ABCDE writing process, they’re able to break down big assignments into small, manageable parts. This makes it easy for students to see how ideas are related to each other and whether or not they make sense, BEFORE they ever start writing a draft. As professional writers will tell you, "what you do before you start writing is more important that what you do after you start writing."
- “The keyboard is mightier than the sword.” You can’t be an effective citizen unless you can write well.
My writing has greatly improved since I started learning from Mr. Waginski. He taught me how to properly structure my essays and improved my sentence structure.
Michael L. from Toronto just graduated from Computer Science at UCLA and is now working at Microsoft.
Our Programs
About all programs:
- There are 5 levels in the Academic English Mastery system. Students can enter the program at any level. To find out what level your child is at, please complete the contact form below or get in touch at janw@aemacademy.ca. We'll do a FREE writing assessment and 30-minute Zoom consultation where we go into your child's writing in depth: you'll get a detailed breakdown of your child's writing issues as well as effective strategies to solve these problems. You'll also see the quality of the feedback provided, and we can discuss whether this program is a good fit for your child's needs. There is no obligation to purchase anything.
- All programs are customized based on the student's needs. Program length, frequency, and scope can be adjusted. Call or write to learn more: 416 822 2637, janw@aemacademy.ca
- All prices are in Canadian dollars. There is no tax. Tuition can be paid monthly at no additional cost.
- NEW: Daytime classes and tutoring are now available in North American time zones.
- Our writing feedback system makes all the difference: All programs include three writing assignments per week with two-stage feedback. After submitting their writing, students receive detailed, colour-coded, descriptive feedback. Students then revise their writing for additional feedback and corrections, and complete follow-up exercises that target weak areas. Our students see rapid results because they receive more writing support than in any other writing program on Earth!
Level I - Foundations Mastery: This program meets students at their current level and brings them up to standard. The focus is on getting students accustomed to the writing process, resolving fundamental grammar issues (run-on sentences, sentence fragments, verb tense issues, subject-verb agreement), understanding sentence structure foundations, and mastering essential concepts in descriptive, narrative, and persuasive paragraphs.
Students focus on detailed, descriptive writing. Most student writing is "thin": it tends to be weakly developed and lack detail. Students learn how to identify gaps in their explanations and add details to make their writing come to life.
- Program length: 4 months
- Group class: One 60 to 90-minute class/week x 16 weeks: $960 CAD, no tax ($240 monthly x4)
- One-to-one class: One 60-minute class/week x 16 weeks: $1440 CAD, no tax ($360 monthly x4). Please note: Large tuition discounts are available if you wish to enroll more than one child in your own VIP small group class.
- All programs include three writing assignments per week with two-stage feedback. After submitting their writing, students receive detailed descriptive feedback. Students then revise their writing for additional feedback and corrections, and complete follow-up exercises that target weak areas.
- Please note: every student receives individualized feedback; these are not group writing tasks.
- Complete curriculum: https://aemacademy.ca/writing-program-for-kids/
Level II and III - Intermediate Training: Students continue to develop their descriptive and persuasive writing skills, as well as an extensive repertoire of complex sentence types.
The focus shifts from paragraphs to essays and reports, and student master a powerful framework for developing and organizing ideas into essay format.
Students are introduced to a variety of reliable academic sources to bolster their writing with real-world information and examples, and learn how to accurately paraphrase, summarize, and synthesize ideas.
- Program length: 4 months
- Group class: One 60 to 90-minute class/week x 16 weeks: $960 CAD, no tax ($240 monthly x4)
- One-to-one class: One 60-minute class/week x 16 weeks: $1440 CAD, no tax ($360 monthly x4). Please note: Large tuition discounts are available if you wish to enroll more than one child in your own VIP small group class.
- All programs include three writing assignments per week with two-stage feedback. After submitting their writing, students receive detailed descriptive feedback. Students then revise their writing for additional feedback and corrections, and complete follow-up exercises that target weak areas.
- Complete curriculum: https://aemacademy.ca/writing-program-for-kids/
Level IV and V - Advanced Training: At Level IV and V, we complete the sentence structure system. Students apply all grammar and sentence structure forms with the goal of attaining grammar mastery and full flexibility with sentence structure. Training continues in improving writing style and substance.
Essays are explored in depth. This program offers an intellectual challenge for students as they learn the core principles of argumentation and how these are applied in developing an essay. Concepts learned in this course are essential for responding to a wide variety of essay prompts seen in high school and university.
- Program length: 4 months
- Group class: One 60 to 90-minute class/week x 16 weeks: $960 CAD, no tax ($240 monthly x4)
- One-to-one class: One 60-minute class/week x 16 weeks: $1440 CAD, no tax ($360 monthly x4). Please note: Large tuition discounts are available if you wish to enroll more than one child in your own VIP small group class.
- All programs include three writing assignments per week with two-stage feedback. After submitting their writing, students receive detailed descriptive feedback. Students then revise their writing for additional feedback and corrections, and complete follow-up exercises that target weak areas.
- Complete curriculum: https://aemacademy.ca/writing-program-for-kids/
IELTS Writing Preparation: Our IELTS writing program has been developed by former IELTS examiners to help students get Band 7+. Powerful templates for each of the seven prompt types show you how to give the examiner exactly what they are looking for in the shortest way possible. 100 model responses written by examiners show you how the writing system is applied and give you ideas you can use in your own work, saving you precious brainstorming time.
In our unique two-stage program, after students submit their writing, they receive a Band score breakdown, colour-coded identification of errors, and detailed descriptive feedback. Students then revise their work for a 2nd round of feedback, which confirms or corrects their understanding of errors. The instructor then provides corrections and explanations for changes.
- Program length is determined after a FREE diagnostic assessment and interview.
- One-to-one training with a former IELTS examiner: 4 one-hour classes + 8 writing tasks = 340 CAD (no tax, not USD). Please note that the program is fully customizable based on the student's current level, Band score requirements, and deadline.
Let's talk about helping your child write well. Schedule a free 30-minute information session to get a detailed assessment of your child's writing and plan for their future success.
Use the form below, call 416-822-2637, or email me (Jan) at janw@aemacademy.ca.
Send me (Jan) a message describing the typical issues your child faces with writing. You can include a recent writing sample with or without teacher feedback (please include the OneDrive, DropBox, or Google Drive link), or I can provide an appropriate prompt. Within 24 hours, we'll set up a telephone or Zoom call where we'll go over your child's writing in depth and talk about how to help your child get far ahead in writing.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
You are fully protected by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you are not happy with the program for any reason, just let us know and we'll send you a prompt and courteous refund for the entire month, even if it's after the last class of the month.
Program Focus
Research, Brainstorming, Organizing
We developed the ABCDE approach to writing, which breaks down writing assignments into easy steps that students complete one at a time. Big assignments no longer feel overwhelming!
- Analyze: Students first learn how to analyze questions and success criteria so they know what the teacher is really looking for.
- Brainstorm: Students then learn how to generate ideas, find appropriate content to support their ideas, and organize their work using mind maps.
- Chunk, check, and chuck: Ideas need to be grouped and checked against the success criteria. Many students are afraid to let go of content they've found, but ideas that are not directly related to the success criteria need to be chucked.
- Develop: Point form ideas are developed into a draft. We teach a 100% foolproof formula that students follow to make sure their ideas are thoroughly developed.
- Edit: Students learn a little-known but highly effective method to find mistakes on their own.
Academic Honesty
Over half of students in high school and about a quarter of university students cheat on assignments, mainly by plagiarizing. However, getting caught cheating can ruin your academic and professional future!
- When students understand the writing process and how to generate ideas, writing assignments no longer feel overwhelming and the temptation to plagiarize disappears.
- When students are confident in their writing abilities and know how to properly summarize and paraphrase, the need to plagiarize disappears.
- When students know how to properly quote and reference the information they find, the reason to plagiarize disappears.
Essays & Descriptive Writing
You CANNOT get high marks if you don’t master essay writing and precise, descriptive prose.
- Even if your child is struggling with writing right now, this program will quickly help them master academic writing rules and style.
- We teach easy-to-remember formulas for reports and essays that are 100% effective every time. What's best is that these formulas do not limit creativity and the reader cannot tell that a formula has been used!
Grammar & Complex Sentences Mastery
Complex sentences are the secret to great writing!
- We first make sure that students have mastered sentence structure essentials and the verb tense system. However, we don't stop there because this approach it only effective at reducing errors. It doesn't lead to great writing.
- We have organized the English complex sentence system into the 23 most commonly-used types of complex sentences. Your child has seen and heard all of them repeatedly in children's books and shows so they will all feel familiar. Now, your child will be able to assemble sentence parts like Legos to construct great writing.
Substance & Style
The biggest problem with student writing is that it is often vague and abstract.
- Students learn how to add specific details and vivid descriptions to make their writing come to life.
Exciting Course Content and Intellectual Development
Outstanding content both teaches about the world and inspires students' own writing.
- For writing assignments, students receive InfoKits with different perspectives on the topics they will write about (scientific perspectives, social science perspectives, statistics, stories, news), which they then integrate into their own writing.
Practice, Practice, Practice (with Feedback and Revisions)
Learning to write requires LOTS of writing and re-writing with a coach's ongoing help. This is the ONLY way to improve.
- Many teachers hope students will magically absorb the rules of grammar from reading. Unfortunately, this is a horribly inefficient process. Other teachers simply correct students' writing errors, which is almost as bad: the student glances at the corrections and forgets them immediately. This is like a swimming coach showing you how she swims instead of helping you improve how you swim.
- Our approach is completely different. Every class includes three writing assignments: one focused on complex sentences, one focused on developing rhetorical elements or editing, and one focused on paragraph/essay writing. Students receive detailed, descriptive feedback on all writing assignments as well as targeted follow-up exercises, AND THEN revise their work for a 2nd round of feedback, which confirms or corrects their understanding of errors. This is the difference between teaching and coaching.
Thinking & Learning Skills
Critical and creative thinking can be taught!
- This program teaches students a wide variety of powerful thinking tools including integrative and lateral thinking. We use a system developed by one of the world's leading thinking skills trainers.
Memory Improvement
Memory is not fixed - it is a skill that can be trained.
- Our program includes training developed by one of America's top memorization masters to help students radically improve their memory. The techniques are easy and fun, can be applied immediately in every class, and massively raise kids' confidence in their learning skills.
Vocabulary Building
Class texts are used to develop a large academic vocabulary.
- Research shows that quizzing is the single most effective study tool. Printable training sheets and online quizzes help students learn hundreds of new words.
Let's talk about helping your child write well. Schedule a free 30-minute information session to get a detailed assessment of your child's writing and plan for their future success.
Use the form below or call 416-822-2637.
Send me (Jan) a message describing the typical issues your child faces with writing. You can include a recent writing sample with or without teacher feedback (please include the OneDrive, DropBox, or Google Drive link), or I can provide an appropriate prompt. Within 24 hours, we'll set up a telephone or Zoom call where we'll go over your child's writing in depth and talk about how to help your child get far ahead in writing.
Results: Big doors open for those with outstanding writing skills
Over 20 years of teaching and tutoring experience in writing helps our students achieve extraordinary levels of success. The students in our program often get higher marks than their native-speaker peers, and they get into the programs they want.
Our program also helps English Language Learners pass the IELTS exam, one of the hardest high-pressure English exams in the world. Our IELTS students include high school students from around the world, professionals seeking to immigrate to Canada, and many doctors who need IELTS to practice medicine in Canada.
I am just sending a message because I thought about you when I got an offer from Ryerson University. I really want to say thank you! All of this could happen because of your kindness and help. It did give me a strength to live in Canada… It’s really hard to contain my appreciation to you in a text but I am trying to ha ha. I was really afraid of confronting different people but your support helped me to overcome it. So thank you again 
MJ S. from Markham was just accepted to Mechanical Engineering at Ryerson University.
Congratulations, MJ!
Hello Sir,
I am excited to tell you that I got 94% in grade 10 English. I just received the marks and I want to thank you for teaching me English and helping me improve. I never thought I would get 94% and I am extremely happy with my marks.
I got this mark thanks to you Sir, so thank you again, Mr. Jan!
After Risari's mom found AEM Academy, Risari scored 94% in grade 10 English.
Congratulations, Risari!
Mr. Jan's teaching worked miracles on my language skills. All the advice and his teaching methods, especially the T.R.E.E.S. paragraph format, improved my writing skills significantly.
Additionally, the grammar rules and the new words he taught us were incredibly helpful as well. I was able to score 95% in English this year, all thanks to him.
Thank you very much Mr. Jan for teaching me everything I needed to learn about this complex language. I am forever indebted to you!
Saheli moved to Mississauga from Sri Lanka 3 years ago. After training with AEM Academy in grammar, sentence structure, and essay writing, Saheli is now among the top students in her class with a 95% in English.
Congratulations, Saheli!
I finished with an 80 all thanks to you sir!
Mohammed A.S. from Mississauga went from 62 in grade 9 English to 80 in grade 10 English after tutoring in writing with AEM.
Congratulations, Mohammed!
My writing has greatly improved since I started learning from Mr. Waginski. He taught me how to properly structure my essays and improved my sentence structure.
Michael L. from Toronto just graduated from Computer Science at UCLA and is now working at Microsoft.
Congratulations, Michael!
Jan not only helped me refine my essays; he also changed the way I write. I owe him so much!
After completing his PhD at Rotman School of Business, Jaewoo J. from Toronto is now a professor at a prestigious Korean university.
Congratulations, Jaewoo!
I had Jan Waginski as a tutor when I was in high school. Mr. Waginski helped me refine my grammar and essay writing skills dramatically and helped fill the gaps left by my previous teachers.
Barbara W. studied Criminology and Fine Art History at the University of Toronto. She is now a senior administrator at a top auction house.
Congratulations, Barbara!
I want to thank you for all your help and support for the last four months!
University of Toronto and Ryerson accepted this results. If you don’t mind, I would like to continue attending your class online to keep improving my writing.
Rama A. from Saudi Arabia just got the Band 7 on IELTS she needs to study architecture at University of Toronto or Ryerson.
Congratulations, Rama!
I am writing to share my latest IELTS result with you. I got band 7 in writing and 6.5 in speaking. I am very excited to see my improvements. I’ve learned so much from you and I will keep learning English in my daily life. Thanks for everything you have done for me!
Mango L. from China now has the Band 7.5 overall she needs for a master’s program at University of British Columbia.
Congratulations, Mango!
Hello! I have already received the IELTS Test Results and I passed it. (Listening 7.0 Reading 6.5 Writing 6.5 Speaking 7.0 Overall 7.0) I had a good time on the IELTS class and I very appreciate you as my teacher. Thanks!
Qianhao L. from China, after only 11 classes, raised his writing Band score from 5.5 to 6.5 AND his speaking Band score from 6.0 to 7.0.
Qianhao now has the Band 7.0 overall he needs for Engineering at University of Waterloo.
Congratulations, Qianhao!
I just received my test score and I finally got 7.0 in the writing section!
Krit P. from Toronto, after only 1 class, raised his writing Band score to 7.0.
Krit now has the Band 7.0 overall he needs for a Master's degree in Business Administration in the U.S. or U.K.
Congratulations, Krit!
I am really grateful to you. The last exam had a line graph and I was able to answer it almost perfectly! That is definitely the result of your measures. I appreciate your support!!!
Kumiko from Japan now has the Band 7 overall she needs for university in the U.K.
Congratulations, Kumiko!
Tutoring in academic writing delivers results FAST!
Students apply their new skills in their daily school assignments and watch their marks go up! In Ontario, communication marks are worth 1/4 of the total grade in many courses*. For that reason, this academic writing program will help your child's grades in every single class, beginning immediately.
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*Ontario schools are required to break down marks for most assignments into these four categories: knowledge & understanding, thinking & inquiry, application, and communication. On many assignments, 25% of your mark comes from communication. For this reason, focusing on writing will raise your grades in EVERY class, beginning immediately.
Let's talk about helping your child write well. Schedule a free 30- minute information session to get a detailed assessment of your child's writing and plan for their future success.
Use the form below or call 416-822-2637.
Send me (Jan) a message describing the typical issues your child faces with writing. You can include a recent writing sample with or without teacher feedback (please include the OneDrive, DropBox, or Google Drive link), or I can provide an appropriate prompt. Within 24 hours, we'll set up a telephone or Zoom call where we'll go over your child's writing in depth and talk about how to help your child get far ahead in writing.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
You are fully protected by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you are not happy with the program for any reason, just let us know and we'll send you a prompt and courteous refund for the entire month, even if it's after the last class of the month.