Abolish Grades? The Debate Schools Don’t Want to Have

Do students need flawless instruction or honest models of lifelong learning?

In this episode of The Four, the hosts welcome Aaron Laenger and explore a range of practical questions in classical Christian education: whether integrated humanities is worth the effort (and how history can serve as the “story” that ties disciplines together), how to approach Latin when teachers are still developing confidence, and why schools often copy trendy methods without enough clarity or training.

They also discuss discussion models like “Harkness” and how they can fail if teachers step back too far, and finish with a lively debate on grading and assessment—what grades communicate, how they can distort motivation, and why formative feedback and character formation can matter just as much as the letter on a report card.