The LadyK Podcast

“Showing your work has to become a part of writing now. We don’t have a different choice.” That is Julian Peterson’s case in this conversation with Katy McKinney, and he has spent seven years building the tool to make it possible. Mr. Peterson studied philosophy before becoming a software engineer, and grew up in a home where books and arguments were dinner conversation. His father, Dr. Jordan B....

"There is a point at which we really can't appreciate beauty unless we truly understand it." That is how Mrs. Katy McKinney sums up the art program at Lafayette Classical Academy (LCA), and she brings in the teacher behind it to show what she means. Amy Coffelt found LCA after driving past a yard sign for a week straight. She came as a parent, stepped in as a kindergarten teacher, a...

"I don't want you to hide behind the screw." That is what science teacher Mr. Kevin Miller tells his high school students, and it is the thread running through this conversation with Katy McKinney. Mr. Miller came to Lafayette Classical Academy (LCA) from the field. He spent years as a wildlife biologist and aquatic entomologist, studying mayflies, before a phone call in the middle...

Textbooks lay the groundwork. But standing on the ground  impacts a child like nothing else.  In this episode, Katy McKinney, Founder and Head of School at Lafayette Classical Academy (LCA), makes the case for the field trip — not as a break from learning, but as the moment learning becomes real. Drawing on years of travel with her own family as a homeschool mom and now with LCA students and their...

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...

"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 t...

"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 b...

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...

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. Sh...

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 reflect...

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 s...

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 discov...

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 clar...

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 imag...

In a free nation, education is never neutral, it is always forming something. In this episode, Dr. Khalid Khan explores what it really means to educate a child for citizenship, not just academics. Through examples like the restraint of George Washington and the life of Benjamin Franklin, we consider how what children learn shapes the kind of people they become. At the center of this conversation i...

Why would someone start a school from scratch? In this episode of the LadyK Podcast, Katy McKinney shares the real story behind founding Lafayette Academy: A Classical School, in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri. It wasn’t a business plan or a strategic move. It was a conviction. After years of teaching, homeschooling, and searching for the right environment for her own children, Katy kept running into...

What truly makes a student successful? Grades and test scores are only part of the story. In this episode of the LadyK Podcast, Katy McKinney, Founder and Head of School at Lafayette Academy, a classical school in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri, explores the often overlooked skills that shape strong and capable students. Katy discusses the importance of soft skills, executive functioning, and emotiona...

Choosing a school can feel overwhelming, but, it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, Katy McKinney shares four specific questions every parent should ask when visiting or considering a school. These questions go deeper than academics and test scores, they uncover culture, expectations, leadership, and the overall health of a school community. She also explains the red flags and green flags to loo...

Choosing a school is one of the most significant investments a family will ever make, but, how do you evaluate the return? In this episode of the LadyK Podcast, host Katy McKinney, Head of School for Lafayette Academy, sits down with Joe DeLisi, a parent at Lafayette Academy and a financial advisor who helps families and business owners make thoughtful, long-term decisions. Together, they explore...

Parents are noticing something is off, shorter attention spans, constant distraction, and learning that feels harder than it should. In this episode of the Lady K Podcast, Katy McKinney, Founder and Head of School at Lafayette Academy: A Classical School, explores how screens are shaping attention, learning, and childhood, and why classical education takes a more intentional approach. This convers...

Life After Lafayette Academy, a Lake Saint Louis classical school, as alumna Marin McKinney shares how her education prepared her for high-level shooting at Hillsdale College. In this episode of the LadyK Podcast, KatyMcKinney sits down with Marin to reflect on her journey from Lafayette Academy to collegiate competition. Marin discusses how the habits formed through classical education, disciplin...

At Lafayette Academy: A Classical School, manners and etiquette are not simply expectations, they are foundational to how the school day begins and how students are formed. In this episode, Katy McKinney explains why manners matter beyond social niceties and how classical education treats etiquette as a form of daily formation. From the first moments of the school day, students are taught how to c...

Classical education can feel unfamiliar to many parents, especially when they first walk into a school without computers, see students handwriting notes, or hear about things like the Paideia or a senior thesis. In this episode, Katy Mckinney breaks down the most common questions parents ask when touring Lafayette Academy and explains why classical education intentionally uses different tools, met...

Show summary here. Join Katy McKinney, founder of Lafayette Academy: A Classical School, as she shares the beginnings of a classical school that’s now home to over 125 children. From a single moment of wonder at the kitchen table to a decade of growth rooted in faith and the timeless Trivium, Katy reflects on what it really means to nurture minds and hearts with beauty, truth, and goodness. If you...

Founder and Head of School Katy McKinney shares “mission moments” from Lafayette Academy: A Classical School, real snapshots where students’ character shines. From a first‑year student who refuses to quit a body‑drag challenge, to a ninth‑grader choosing forgiveness after a creek‑side mishap, to a transfer student advancing four years of math in 18 months, to a spontaneous chorus of “America the B...