Nora Wynne

Nora Wynne, who is a sixth- through eighth-grade Spanish teacher at McKinleyville Middle School in the McKinleyville Union School District, Humboldt County.

Ms. Wynne says that social justice is central to her work as an educator, and she works to make sure that her students in the margins have an ally.

“My queer students see an out teacher who cares deeply about them and understands how it is to be a queer kid in a small rural town,” she says. “My native Spanish speakers see me as someone who has their back. I care about all of my students. I see my students as multi-dimensional, as unique, and as valuable.”

She became a teacher after serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, where she saw first-hand what can happen when not every child has the chance to get an education. Her passion for education is driven by the belief that education serves as a tool for personal liberation because “knowledge is power.” In addition to teaching middle school students, she also teaches pre-service educators at Humboldt State University because she wants every student to have a “wide-awake” teacher.