Kay McSpadden writes about teaching and education issues for the Charlotte Observer, where she has been a community columnist since 1999. Her writings draw from her experiences in the classroom. She has taught high school English in rural South Carolina for nearly 30 years.

In addition to her twice monthly Observer columns, Kay speaks regularly on education issues, and has written and recorded radio commentaries for WFAE, the Charlotte affiliate for National Public Radio.

Kay and her husband Randy, a Presbyterian minister, have two sons: Jamie, a senior at Yale, and Will, a sophomore at Emory. Jamie, a Fulbright Scholar will be studying in Germany next year.