STRANGE ROADS ARE THE EASIEST ROADS: Academic Journeys in the 21st Century

In To live is fly, Townes Van Zandt (1971) sings “Everything is not enough; And nothin’ is too much to bear. Where you been is good and gone; All you keep is the getting there.” As a critical educator who believes in the power of our own biographies, struggles, and journeys, I look at the Van Zandt refrain as a metaphor for my journey through the past 15 years from graduate school at Florida International University through academia. As a curriculum generalist, I attempted to become actively engaged in promoting social change within the educational system and the university culture itself across disciplines. My doctoral advisor, Stephen Fain, taught me both the importance and value of a portable resume and becoming an ethical practitioner. In his office, he reminded me daily, “make sure you can always sleep at night,” and “become part of the university.” The concept and idea of a portable resume I understood immediately, but the latter took years to master. The path he preached went beyond being ethical and engaged; it spoke to the larger idea that we are part of a life force that is the academy. Although complex, it is simple to understand, if not always simple to navigate.