On Hearing Call and Respecting Your Path

Last updated on: May 18, 2015 at 12:42 pm by Guest Contributor

On Hearing Call and Respecting Your Path 2015-05-18T12:42:28-05:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

by Charles McKinney

I started grad school in the fall of 1990. I finished my master’s in 1994, and left screaming and cussing, swearing never to return to my program in history at Duke. I felt like grad school wasn’t worth the effort. I felt like I should be doing something more “substantive”, something more explicitly connected to the improvement of Black Life. So, I left, and spent several years working in the non-profit sector. Five hard, glorious years, doing work that I thought mattered.

Then something strange happened. I rediscovered my call to teach. Perhaps more importantly, I discovered a group of scholars who blurred the lines between scholarship and engagement, who made deliberate overtures towards the struggle for freedom and self-determination. The scales fell from my eyes; I had a serious come to Jesus moment – should I go back to grad school? I called in my crew of friends and held a clearness session. Yeah – I’m going back.

I returned to grad school in the fall of 1999. Almost all of the folks I came in with were gone. That hurt. What was downright agonizing was the fact that many of my friends had secured tenure-track jobs and were working their way towards tenure. I was now married, and our first child was on the way. This was going to be a very different ride. My ride or die wife Natalie was a rock for me. But it was disconcerting to be back in school, chipping away at a dissertation proposal while my brilliant cohort was finishing up their book revisions. It was intensely isolating. Intensely.

But the thing is, those years out of grad school absolutely helped me become a better teacher, and probably a better scholar. While I was out of school, I spent time working with and teaching kids who had no regard for formal titles and the assumptions that came along with them. “Why should we believe YOU, Mr. McKinney?” Great question, Javon. Now I have to spend chunks of time talking about the craft of history, how this stuff is produced, and what to look out for when you read it. Sets of questions I rarely got from elite undergrads. Teaching in a variety of settings, teaching a variety of students – from honor roll kids to folks in the juvenile justice system – was the very best preparation for me. Working at Public Allies North Carolina was an essential aspect of my professional development.

So, I know there’s a lot of us who question the never-straight trails we blaze as we make our way through grad school. I’m here to tell you – trust the path that you’re on, and don’t sweat it too much if it doesn’t look like other folks’ path. You ain’t other folks. You’re you.

Charles McKinney, PhD, is an associate professor of history and the Neville Frierson Bryan Chair of Africana Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee

Previous Post

May 16, 2015

R3 Contributor: Crystal St. Marie Lewis

Next Post

May 21, 2015 Blacks, Latinos, and the Right to Vote

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Amy Steele Andre E. Johnson Book Reviews/Series Brian Foulks Call for Chapters Carol Howard Merritt Classes Conferences Contributors Crystal St.Marie Lewis Daniel White Hodge Earle Fisher Eulogy Fredrick Robinson Guest Contributions Henry McNeal Turner Institutes Interviews Joseph Boston Katherine Whitfield Kimberly Peeler-Ringer Lectures/Roundtables Natalie Bullock Brown R3 Book Series R3 Contributor Rashad Grove Readers Reflections Symposiums Teaching Traci Ellis Travis Harris Uncategorized Video

Select a Month June 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 October 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz