Pipe Dreams and Where They Might Lead
Thomson’s Falls, Kenya. Two mischievous sisters, an unexpecting North Carolinian Baptist volunteer and a bottle of Tangawizi Stoney - a wonderfully delightful East African ginger beer that tricks you into believing that your esophagus is on fire. It was in the moment that Stoney came out of the poor fellow’s nose, thereby burning his nasal cavity as well, that I discovered my passion and joy for sending foreigners (re: Americans) through culture shock.
Fast forward two decades, jump across a continent and swim through an ocean and you'll find me in the least likely place: a public high school in North Carolina. I entered this profession primarily because it’s what my degrees set me up for, and because from some source that I’m not in control of, it’s what I am good at. But, I also became a teacher because of this nagging dream to expose students to the world by taking them into that world. To most people that sounds like a solid pipe dream, because I don’t mean the classic “explore the European cathedrals and learn about history from its source” through EF tours. Instead, I mean the “hey this is how the other side lives and breathes every single day” experience. That's right, I mean the real-life-I-want-you-to-stick-out-like-a-sore-thumb-and-be-humbled-by-it trip.
It is not hyperbole when I say I have a passion for watching people go through culture shock. That’s why it is a pipe dream - because what parent is going to let me do that to their children? But here’s why - against all the odds - I have continued to believe in this pipe dream: culture shock is humbling, it’s eye opening, it’s strengthening - it’s the birthplace of wisdom - and wisdom, my friend, is proof of growth.
When I made the decision to move back to Raleigh and interviewed with a local WCPSS high school, I also inadvertently applied for involvement with Operation Wisdom. It’s an education based non-profit that seeks to mold students into proactive and culturally humble global citizens. What’s wonderfully unique about the organization is that it is student led through their passions and interests. They pick what global (or local) issue they want to learn about, raise awareness for, and, sometimes, plan fundraisers for. They learn about initiatives that work and they learn about the initiatives that don’t work and how not to make the same mistakes. They take ownership in their learning because they care about what they are learning. All I have to do is sit back and watch as they grow in wisdom and become individuals in whose hands I will have no qualms leaving this world.
I had no idea how much it would take over my life. I would never have accepted that my “pipe dream” could actually come true through an American public high school. I would have never believed that I’d watch in astonishment as students came forward with an innate passion and desire that could never be encapsulated by a lesson or class.
It’s difficult and it’s challenging - especially on top of a career choice that already takes up way too much of my time. But it’s also exhilarating, it’s hope-lending, and it’s powerful.
So now I’m going to Ghana with 15 students who want to stick out like a sore thumb and be humbled by it. And better yet - their parents know about and agree with that mission. They want their teenagers to be exposed to the seedy underbelly of child slavery and rescue efforts; to the daily existence of impoverished school systems; to the ramifications of paternalistic customs that blame rape and infertility on the woman; to the struggle (and sometimes impossibility) of finding clean drinking water; to the reality that the war, poverty, illness and famine that we see on the TV screen isn’t fictionalized. But, even more so, and this is what I love about Operation Wisdom, they want their children to learn the all important lesson that they do not have the answers and that they can’t swoop in and fix the world’s problems with their American passport and American dollars. Instead: they learn that real change occurs and begins with wisdom and authentic partnership.
So the pipe dream becomes a reality. But it comes with a cost - a literal financial cost - which some of our student participants and their families are struggling to meet. It’s unorthodox to ask visitors of this site to support students that they don’t personally know, but I’ve been in their place before - and you might have been there as well. It is that place where you know without a doubt that you’re meant to participate in something - that you’re meant to do this thing or go to this place - but you just don’t have the money. Which is why I'm asking, if you have that nagging passion and the financial ability to donate, please do so. By donating, you'll be playing your hand in the ripple effect of change that is caused by one student growing in wisdom.
Thomson’s Falls, Kenya. Two mischievous sisters, an unexpecting North Carolinian Baptist volunteer and a bottle of Tangawizi Stoney - a wonderfully delightful East African ginger beer that tricks you into believing that your esophagus is on fire. It was in the moment that Stoney came out of the poor fellow’s nose, thereby burning his nasal cavity as well, that I discovered my passion and joy for sending foreigners (re: Americans) through culture shock.
Fast forward two decades, jump across a continent and swim through an ocean and you'll find me in the least likely place: a public high school in North Carolina. I entered this profession primarily because it’s what my degrees set me up for, and because from some source that I’m not in control of, it’s what I am good at. But, I also became a teacher because of this nagging dream to expose students to the world by taking them into that world. To most people that sounds like a solid pipe dream, because I don’t mean the classic “explore the European cathedrals and learn about history from its source” through EF tours. Instead, I mean the “hey this is how the other side lives and breathes every single day” experience. That's right, I mean the real-life-I-want-you-to-stick-out-like-a-sore-thumb-and-be-humbled-by-it trip.
It is not hyperbole when I say I have a passion for watching people go through culture shock. That’s why it is a pipe dream - because what parent is going to let me do that to their children? But here’s why - against all the odds - I have continued to believe in this pipe dream: culture shock is humbling, it’s eye opening, it’s strengthening - it’s the birthplace of wisdom - and wisdom, my friend, is proof of growth.
When I made the decision to move back to Raleigh and interviewed with a local WCPSS high school, I also inadvertently applied for involvement with Operation Wisdom. It’s an education based non-profit that seeks to mold students into proactive and culturally humble global citizens. What’s wonderfully unique about the organization is that it is student led through their passions and interests. They pick what global (or local) issue they want to learn about, raise awareness for, and, sometimes, plan fundraisers for. They learn about initiatives that work and they learn about the initiatives that don’t work and how not to make the same mistakes. They take ownership in their learning because they care about what they are learning. All I have to do is sit back and watch as they grow in wisdom and become individuals in whose hands I will have no qualms leaving this world.
I had no idea how much it would take over my life. I would never have accepted that my “pipe dream” could actually come true through an American public high school. I would have never believed that I’d watch in astonishment as students came forward with an innate passion and desire that could never be encapsulated by a lesson or class.
It’s difficult and it’s challenging - especially on top of a career choice that already takes up way too much of my time. But it’s also exhilarating, it’s hope-lending, and it’s powerful.
So now I’m going to Ghana with 15 students who want to stick out like a sore thumb and be humbled by it. And better yet - their parents know about and agree with that mission. They want their teenagers to be exposed to the seedy underbelly of child slavery and rescue efforts; to the daily existence of impoverished school systems; to the ramifications of paternalistic customs that blame rape and infertility on the woman; to the struggle (and sometimes impossibility) of finding clean drinking water; to the reality that the war, poverty, illness and famine that we see on the TV screen isn’t fictionalized. But, even more so, and this is what I love about Operation Wisdom, they want their children to learn the all important lesson that they do not have the answers and that they can’t swoop in and fix the world’s problems with their American passport and American dollars. Instead: they learn that real change occurs and begins with wisdom and authentic partnership.
So the pipe dream becomes a reality. But it comes with a cost - a literal financial cost - which some of our student participants and their families are struggling to meet. It’s unorthodox to ask visitors of this site to support students that they don’t personally know, but I’ve been in their place before - and you might have been there as well. It is that place where you know without a doubt that you’re meant to participate in something - that you’re meant to do this thing or go to this place - but you just don’t have the money. Which is why I'm asking, if you have that nagging passion and the financial ability to donate, please do so. By donating, you'll be playing your hand in the ripple effect of change that is caused by one student growing in wisdom.
~ Jessie Yates
Operation Wisdom Faculty Advisor
Ghana Wisdom Foundation Board Member
Operation Wisdom Faculty Advisor
Ghana Wisdom Foundation Board Member
Donations are tax deductible and 100% of your money will go to supporting our students on their trip.
Please consider visiting the rest of our website to discover more about our mission, history, and programs: operationwisdom.org.
Furthermore, if you live in the Raleigh area and are free on February 16, you can meet our team and learn about Operation Wisdom’s trip and mission at our first annual Ghana Banquet. Contact annrweaver@gmail.com for tickets and information.
Furthermore, if you live in the Raleigh area and are free on February 16, you can meet our team and learn about Operation Wisdom’s trip and mission at our first annual Ghana Banquet. Contact annrweaver@gmail.com for tickets and information.
