An eighth grader came into class holding a handwritten letter from his grandparents, and told his teacher, happily, that his mom had typed it out so he could read it.

"That broke my heart," Katy McKinney says. She was the teacher. She's also the Founder and Head of School of Lafayette Classical Academy (LCA). It was at that moment that she stopped her eighth grade English class, got a fourth-grade handwriting book, and taught thirteen-year-olds cursive for five minutes a day for the rest of the year. By spring, students whose print was rough to read were writing script that was, in her word, gorgeous!

In this episode, Katy gives seven reasons LCA teaches cursive while most schools have dropped it. It connects children to the past, to their grandparents' letters, and to the journals and documents of our founding, read without a translator. It's personal expression: handwriting is like a fingerprint. It builds the brain in ways typing doesn't. It teaches patience, and craftsmanship, and it's simply beautiful. And in a world of instant messages and AI-generated text, a handwritten note still says something no machine can: I took the time to do this for you.

There are no iPads and no Chromebooks in LCA classrooms. There's no shortcut.

So why does Lafayette Classical Academy teach cursive? Katy says the better question is the other one: What are we losing, in the name of efficiency, if we don't?

If this episode encouraged you or gives you hope, share it with a friend – because great nations are not renewed in the courts or in the capitals, but in our classrooms, in our families, and in the hearts of our children. That’s how we help preserve the promise of America.

For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/

For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download

"Virtue is not theoretical. It is extremely real, practical, and usable."

That is the claim Katy McKinney makes in this episode, and then she proves it out of the life of her school.

When people first hear "classical education," she says, they think of Latin, the great books, history, and all of that matters deeply. But a classical education has never been only the filling of the mind. It is the formation of the whole person. So at Lafayette Classical Academy (LCA), two questions get asked instead of one: what does this student know, and who is this child becoming?

Katy, LCA's Founder and Head of School, shares three stories from the school's own families. A seventh grader who came in behind and disengaged, and graduated having found that she loved the subject she liked least. A boy who used to dread getting out of bed for school, and now points to his recitations as the reason he can walk into an interview and speak. And a second grader who ended up in open water with the boat blown away from her, where the word that broke through her panic — fortitude — was one of the four cardinal virtues her class had been practicing all year. Her mother wrote to Katy afterward: if it had not been for Lafayette, neither my daughter nor I could be writing this.

None of it happens accidentally. It is focused, disciplined work, daily habits, high expectations, the curriculum, coaching and correction. It is loving students enough, she says, to call them to go higher.

She also names the temptation she sees in education today: to assume that when we love our children, we lower the bar. "That is not loving the child. That is a cop-out." Children are more capable than they know, and the job of the adults around them is to hold the bar high and walk beside them until they meet it.

Lafayette Classical Academy is a classical school pursuing excellence in academics and excellence in character, together. If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend — because our nation is not renewed first in the courts or in the capitals, but in our classrooms, in our families, and in our children's hearts.

For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/

For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download

"They don't even know what they're saying — so what's the point?" It's the objection heard in non-classical schools about recitation. In this episode, Katy McKinney, founder and Head of School at Lafayette Classical Academy, makes the case that this isn't a flaw in classical education — it's the process itself.

Katy explores what recitation actually trains beyond memory, the meaningful passages Lafayette students carry with them for life, and two stories — one from her own kitchen table, one from a middle school classroom — that reveal just how much is happening beneath the surface when a child memorizes words before fully grasping them.

Recorded as the country marked the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it's a timely reminder of why some words are worth giving to children early — long before they understand them.

For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/

For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download

At Lafayette Classical Academy (LCA), we don't celebrate an eighth-grade graduation; we celebrate something even more important.

In this episode, Katy McKinney shares the meaning behind LCA’s Eighth Grade Recognition Ceremony, one of the most memorable traditions at the school. More than an academic milestone, this evening reflects years of growth in virtue, courage, gratitude, humility, and character.

Katy also tells the remarkable story of one eighth-grade student whose journey from fear and self-doubt to courage and confidence reminded everyone in the room why classical education is about far more than grades and test scores.

If you've ever wondered what the long-term fruit of a classical education looks like, this episode offers a powerful answer.

Whether you're a parent exploring private schools, considering classical education, or simply interested in raising children of strong character, this conversation will encourage and inspire you.

Lafayette Classical Academy, a Hillsdale Curriculum school, is a K-12 classical school in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri, serving families throughout St. Charles County who desire an education that forms both the mind and the character.

For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/

For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download

This week, Katy McKinney shares the story behind founding Lafayette Academy: A Classical School,  and what it really takes to build a classical school from the ground up.

Drawing from her experience as a public school teacher, homeschool mom, and founder of Lafayette Academy: A Classical School, Katy discusses the challenges, setbacks, and moments of faith that shaped the school's journey. She also explains how discovering the classical tradition—and the influence of Hillsdale College's K–12 education movement—helped shape Lafayette Academy's mission to cultivate wisdom, virtue, and a lifelong love of learning.

Whether you're a parent exploring classical education, considering homeschooling, curious about the Hillsdale approach, or wondering if your community needs a classical school, this conversation offers practical encouragement and an honest look behind the scenes.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why Katy left traditional education
• How homeschooling led her to classical education
• How Hillsdale College's approach influenced Lafayette Academy: A Classical School
• What it actually takes to start a classical school
• The biggest challenges Lafayette Academy faced

If you've ever wondered whether a classical education is right for your family—or dreamed of starting a school rooted in truth, goodness, and beauty—this episode is for you.

For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/

For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download

Marin McKinney returns to the Lady K Podcast to share what has been a remarkable and transformative season. After completing her sophomore year at Hillsdale College, Marin devoted herself to training for USA Shooting selection matches and recently competed for the opportunity to represent the United States in international competition.

But this conversation goes far beyond athletics. Marin reflects on the pressures of competition, the lessons learned through setbacks, and the importance of developing a calm and disciplined mind. Together, Katy and Marin discuss perseverance, confidence, and why failure is often one of our greatest teachers.

Whether your child is an athlete, a student, or simply learning how to face challenges with courage, this episode offers practical wisdom and encouragement. It is a reminder that growth rarely comes without difficulty and that character is formed through the steady practice of beginning again.

Topics discussed include:

• USA Shooting and the selection match process
• Competing under pressure and learning from setbacks
• Developing mental discipline and confidence
• The importance of positive self-talk and preparation
• Why failure is a necessary part of growth
• Lessons that apply far beyond athletics

At Lafayette Academy: A Classical School, we believe education is about more than academics. It is about forming young men and women who are prepared to pursue excellence with humility, perseverance, and gratitude.

For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/

For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download

What draws someone to teaching, and what does it take to become a great teacher?

In this episode, Head of School, Katy McKinney, welcomes Ms. Glidden, who spent the year serving as an intern at Lafayette Academy: A Classical School,  under the mentorship of master teacher Grace Leonard. Ms. Glidden shares what she learned from working alongside experienced educators, teaching young students, and stepping into the daily rhythms of a classical classroom.

Their conversation explores the importance of humility, lifelong learning, mentorship, and the formation of both teacher and student. Ms. Glidden reflects on how her experiences, from teaching swim lessons and jiu-jitsu to working with elementary students, helped prepare her for the classroom and shaped her understanding of what it means to teach well.

This episode offers an encouraging look at the next generation of educators and the kind of formation that helps teachers grow in wisdom, confidence, and love for their students.

If you've ever wondered how great teachers are formed, this conversation provides a thoughtful and hopeful perspective.

For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/

For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download

What does a popular song have to do with economics?

In this episode, Katy sits down with four Lafayette Academy students whose economics project was selected for publication by the Federal Reserve's Journal of Future Economists. Inspired by the classic essay I, Pencil, the students set out to answer an intriguing question: What does it actually take to bring a song to life?

What they discovered was far more than a story about music. From songwriters and recording studios to instrument makers, streaming platforms, marketers, and countless others working behind the scenes, every song depends on an extraordinary network of people contributing their unique skills and talents. Together, they reveal a powerful economic principle often called the "invisible hand", the idea that people pursuing their own work and interests can create something valuable that benefits millions.

Along the way, the students discuss their research process, what surprised them most, and why understanding economics is really about understanding human cooperation.

For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/

For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download

In this special episode, Head of School, Katy McKinney, sits down with one of Lafayette Academy’s students, Ellie Schweizer, who just completed her senior thesis exploring virtue, friendship, and the “good life” through the philosophy of Aristotle and the novels of Jane Austen. The senior thesis is a capstone that reflects years of reading deeply, writing with care, and learning to think with clarity.

Through works such as Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice, this conversation explores how relationships shape human character—for better or worse—and why virtuous friendships are essential to human flourishing.

This conversation offers a rare look at what a student is capable of before graduation, when both intellect and character are taken seriously. If you have ever wondered what the end result of a classical education can be, this episode gives you a clear and compelling picture.

At Lafayette Academy: A Classical Education, education is not only about knowledge, but about the formation of character and the cultivation of virtue. The senior thesis is one expression of that formation. It reveals a student’s ability to engage meaningful ideas, speak with confidence, and pursue truth with humility.  In the end, education is not merely the transfer of information; it is the formation of the whole person. 

📚 Featured Works Mentioned

• Nicomachean Ethics — Aristotle
• Emma
• Sense and Sensibility
• Pride and Prejudice

For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/

For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download

In this episode of the Lady K Podcast, Katy McKinney pulls back the curtain on how Lafayette Academy: A Classical School teaches history, and why it’s so much more than dates, battles, and tests.

From kindergarten stories about George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette to tales of pioneers, Almanzo Wilder, and Benjamin Franklin, we explore how history is intentionally used to build moral imagination, shape character, and form future citizens who can sustain our Republic.

Discover why we teach restraint through Washington’s refusal of kingship, patience and self-control through Farmer Boy, courage and justice through real historical dilemmas, and the dangers of resentment through Benedict Arnold. At Lafayette Academy, history isn’t just content, it’s formation.

If you want your children to love what is good, recognize evil, and develop the virtues needed to be thoughtful participants in a free society, this episode reveals the deeper purpose behind our approach.

Join Katy as she explains how we’re not just educating students, we’re forming citizens.

For more information about Lafayette Academy, A Classical School please visit https://lafayetteacademy.org/

For Referenced Resources from the LadyK Podcast Click Here for Download