Bonnie Mann: Update on Life

Thirty one years after graduating from High School I am finally a tenured Philosophy Professor at the University of Oregon. It took me a long, long time to settle into one thing and find some job security. In these times, I'm glad to have it. After high school I went to University of Portland, then Portland State University. I was infamous at UP for leading a student hunger strike over the firing of a professor, and also founding a student group that engaged in various left-leaning political activities. I worked as a program manager in a battered women's shelter in Massachusetts for five years after graduating. Alot happened in those five years. I came out (what a relief!). I traveled to Sri Lanka with a woman whose children had been kidnapped and taken there. I spent enough time in Central America to learn to speak Spanish fairly well. And I got admitted to a PhD programs in Philosophy at the State University of New York in Stony Brook. It took me 14 years to finish my PhD, I guess because it took me a long time to decide that I really wanted to - in fact I dropped out for 6 of those years, then went back and finished in 2002. In the meantime, I did a lot of political activism, I lived in Germany for two years and learned to speak German, I worked at a battered women's shelter in San Francisco and a homeless shelter in Oakland, I met and fell in love with my current partner (in San Francisco), and we adopted four girls from the state foster care system in California.

My partner, Erin, is a long time elementary school teacher and a painter. She and I celebrated our 16th anniversary this year.

I was hired to teach philosophy at University of Oregon in 2003. My first book was published by Oxford University Press in 2006. The second is in the works now. I was awarded tenure just last year. I teach everything from introductory courses, the biggest of which has 350 students, to small graduate courses for PhD students. I mostly love teaching and feel that this is what I was born to do - except for the days that I hate it of course!

Our daughters are now 11, 14, 15, and 17 years old - and yes, we are stressed out! Our oldest daughter, Angel, who was 5 when we adopted her, is heading off to college in the fall. We live in Eugene in an old craftsman-built home that we turned into a five bedroom when we couldn't stand the kids fighting over sharing rooms anymore. We have rabbits and dogs and cats and a big garden and a small bunch of fruit trees. We live right next to a beautiful bike path that runs right along the beautiful Willamette River through green space to the University of Oregon, so that is my route to work. After 25 years in school, and a bunch of years teaching school, being a parent has taught me more than anything else, that I don't know anything at all.

I was on sabbatical this year and had some time to start a facebook page and reconnect with some old friends. Now I'm back to teaching and won't have any time for the next seven years but it was great to hear how folks are doing and I look forward to reading the blog when Sandra finishes it.

My latest insight is that retired people are really a lot of fun. I took a French class this year with a bunch of retired folks and they just laughed all the time - something to look forward to. Greetings to everyone from rainy, wet Eugene.