Woman of the Week: Anne Sullivan
written by Kate H.
A struggle to which many can relate is that of teaching or taking care of a child, especially if they are unruly and do not follow directions. The importance of respect must be taught to the child through discipline and rewards for good behavior. But the fact remains that they can be easily taught through typical communication.
Imagine trying to teach someone who cannot see OR hear you. How do you communicate? How do you teach even the basics? This challenge was taken on by Anne Sullivan. She did not turn away from the challenge because she knew it would be hard. She rose to the occasion and worked until she found a way to teach her student all about the world that she could not see. This student’s name was Helen Keller, and the teacher behind her education was Johanna Mansfield Sullivan Macy, or Anne Sullivan.
Anne was born on April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts, though she was from Irish decent. Because of the Great Famine of the 1840s, her parents migrated from Ireland to the US. At 5 years old she contracted a serious eye disease called trachoma which severely damaged her sight. Only three short years later, her mother died due to a long battle with tuberculosis. Soon afterwards, following the other unfortunate events, her abusive father abandoned the family. His absence left Anne and her younger brother Jimmie to live at a home for the poor called the Tewksbury Almshouse. Sadly, her brother died only a few months after moving there.
Determined to escape poverty, Anne learned about schools for the blind and made it a priority to seek out education.
Fulfilling her aspiration, she attended the Perkins School for the Blind in 1880, leaving Tewksbury in the past. Around the same time, she also received a surgery to help improve her impaired vision. Having never been to school before, Anne lacked good social skills which led to the development of her quick temper and eagerness to push the boundaries. Despite these tendencies, Anne proved to be very intelligent. After learning to build relationships with her peers and teachers, intense studying, and incredible grades, Anne was chosen as the valedictorian of her class.
After graduation she immediately found work in the Keller family. They had previously written Michael Anagos, a teacher at the Perkins School, requesting a teacher for their daughter Helen. The letter detailed their daughter’s extensive disabilities: she was deaf and blind. Anagos immediately suggested Anne Sullivan. Therefore, at the age of 20, Anne headed to Tuscumbia, Alabama to help the Kellers.
Sullivan took on the daunting responsibility with patience and confidence. Her first task was to help Helen associate words with objects. After many frustrating sessions, Sullivan made the decision to separate Keller from her family in order to diminish the stubborn and spoiled tendencies of her student. In short, her perseverance paid off. It was because of Anne’s dedication and Helen’s concentration that Helen Keller became the first deaf-blind person to graduate from college. The pair’s journey became one of the most well known success stories in history.
“We are afraid of experimenting, of change. We shrink from thinking a problem through to a logical conclusion.”
Anne met and married a Harvard University instructor named John Macy in 1905, though she refused to separate from Helen. The newlyweds lived with the Keller family in their home in Massachusetts.
Sullivan died October 20, 1936 after many more struggles with her sight, including the removal of her right eye. In recognition of her tremendous accomplishments, her ashes were placed among other praiseworthy individuals, such as President Woodrow Wilson, at the National Cathedral Washington, D.C.
“The Miracle Worker”:
A movie was created to help us better understand the experiences of Anne and Helen. Below is the trailer for that movie. While watching, you can see the struggles, the victories, the sadness, and the happiness throughout the learning process. From their trials and triumphs comes a lasting friendship; the two are known to have been inseparable. Their connection is not only a great example of the importance of a dedicated teacher but of the importance of a student’s dedication as well. It takes equal amounts of effort from a teacher and a student for one to succeed. And when that mutual effort occurs, the result is nothing short of a miracle!
Click here to watch the trailer!
In this next clip from the movie (click here!), the incredible connection, bond, and trust that student and teacher share is depicted. This scene is called “the water scene” and viewers can see the beauty in the discovery of water by Helen. But what I believe is most remarkable is the joy that is seen in Helen’s parents and in Anne, all because of Anne’s patience and ability to teach Helen. Helen’s revelation is so pure and innocent and clearly demonstrates the effects of a passionate teacher.
“My heart is singing for joy this morning! A miracle has happened! The light of understanding has shone upon my little pupil’s mind, and behold, all things are changed!”