How did Anne Sullivan teach Helen Keller to communicate?

The relationship between Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller goes beyond students and teachers. The foundation of their relationship was that Anne Sullivan opened up Helen Keller the ability to communicate with the world. Helen Keller, who was deaf, blind, and speechless due to a childhood illness, learned to read, write and speak thanks to the tireless efforts of her teacher, friend and companion Anne Sullivan.

Anne Sullivan's teaching philosophy is to make learning active and enjoyable. Through finger spelling, gesture, Braille and vocal training, Anne Sullivan gave Helen Keller the gift of language, expression and liberation. She has made Helen Keller accessible to the world through her compassion, tireless efforts, and innovative teaching methods. But how exactly did Anne Sullivan bring the outside world to her that Helen Keller had not had access to before? Read on to find out.

Anne Sullivan knew that her education could be a battle and what it was like being blind

Anne Sullivan had to fight for her education. Anne Sullivan was born in 1866, the child of poor, illiterate Irish immigrants in Massachusetts. Her father was an alcoholic, and shortly after her mother died, Anne Sullivan was admitted to the nearby Tewksbury Almshouse.

During this time, Anne Sullivan developed trachoma, a bacterial infection of the eye, and lost most of her vision at the age of 5. When Anne Sullivan was in Tewkesbury with her brother Jimmy, she met a disabled woman named Maggie Carroll. When Jimmy dies, Carroll advises Anne Sullivan to accept her current life, but Anne Sullivan is determined to find a way out of her predicament.She had several operations on her eyes, many at Tewkesbury but some at Charity Hospital, and these increased Anne Sullivan's desire to leave the almshouse.

In the 1870s and 1880s, Massachusetts began investigating the condition of Tewkesbury. In the 1880s, when state officials visited the almshouse, Anne Sullivan begged them to let her go to a school for the blind she had heard about from other tenants. She had never received any schooling, was illiterate, and was eager to learn. Her pleas were successful, and in 1880 she was sent to the Perkins School for the Blind.

Anne Sullivan learned from her own disability

When Anne Sullivan came to Perkins School for the Blind in 1880, she had no educational background, and she was poor and never belonged to any own real property. Other students at the school, mostly from wealthy families, mocked Anne Sullivan, but she focused on her studies and developed close relationships with several teachers. Anne Sullivan was smart and soon caught up intellectually, learning how to communicate as a blind person with other students in the school who were both blind and deaf. She learned to spell with fingers and handwriting, the latter of which was an important communication tool for Helen Keller.

While studying at Perkins University, Anne Sullivan underwent several more surgeries and slowly regained her sight. By the end of 1882, she was able to read prints. Anne Sullivan then continued her studies at Perkins, graduating as valedictorian of the class in 1886.

Before Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan worked with another deaf woman, Laura Bridgeman

Laura Bridgeman was the first to learn to use her fingers to spell and write to communicate Blind and deaf English speakers.Bridgman lost not only her sight and hearing, but also her sense of smell and most of her sense of taste from scarlet fever as a child, and she entered what would become the Perkins School for the Blind in 1837. Before that, she had developed her own method of communicating with her family through movement. When she came to Perkins, she learned through a series of gestures and block writing exercises.

Bridgeman learned words and spelling through raised lettering on the pages, and by 1850 her knowledge had expanded to include history, philosophy, mathematics, writing, and geography. She gained international fame when her teacher, Samuel Gridley Howe, published a paper on her method. Soon Howe and Bridgeman caught the attention of intellectuals such as Charles Dickens.

When Anne Sullivan went to Perkins in 1880, Bridgeman had been there for nearly 50 years, visiting her New Hampshire home only in the summer. Anne Sullivan and Bridgeman quickly became friends and they spent a lot of time together. Anne Sullivan learned how to communicate with Bridgeman, read to her regularly, and probably developed a great deal of patience with this special friend.

Alexander Graham Bell, recommended Helen Keller to Anne Sullivan

When Helen Keller was 19 months old, she lost her hearing and vision after suffering from an unknown disease. Helen Keller, always a curious and intelligent child, became a frustrated and angry child due to her inability to communicate. She tried to hum, gesturing, and express her wishes and thoughts to her parents through her other senses, but often just lost her temper. Helen Keller's parents, both educated and wealthy, were eager to find a way to control Helen Keller, while also trying to help her.

Observers told the Kellers that Helen Keller was a failure and other family members hoped they would put her in hospital. They refused, however, and after Helen Keller's mother read Charles Dickens's description of Laura Bridgeman in his "Notes on America", they were inspired by Bridgeman's ability to learn and told Helen · Keller's prospects are promising.

So the couple contacted a doctor, but they both said there was nothing they could do, and they were eventually introduced to Alexander Graham Bell. Bell, who has been working with deaf children in Washington, D.C., suggested they contact the Perkins School for the Blind. Soon Arthur Keller wrote to the school, and the school sent their star student Anne Sullivan to help them. Ultimately, Helen Keller and Bell, whom she regards as a benefactor, remain lifelong friends.

Anne Sullivan accepts no reproach from Helen Keller

On March 3, 1887, Anne Sullivan came to Helen Keller's home in Alabama and welcomed Helen Keller as Helen Keller later called it For the "birthday of the soul". On that day, 21-year-old Anne Sullivan met a provocative and violent 7-year-old. At first, Anne Sullivan began spelling words into Keller's hands to identify them and try to help her understand. And Helen Keller kicked, screamed and threw things out of frustration. Also, Helen Keller became unruly and impolite, especially at mealtimes.

In a famous mealtime incident, Helen Keller tried to snatch food from Anne Sullivan's plate, but it was a common occurrence. So Anne Sullivan slapped Helen Keller's hand with a spoon until Keller stopped. A violent temper tantrum ensued, but Anne Sullivan simply ignored it and continued to eat her meal.

Anne Sullivan is no stranger to her own stubbornness, and she uses it well. At Perkins University, Anne Sullivan was grumpy and unyielding, challenging her classmates and teachers alike. This makes Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan a good pair.

They started the whole educational process

Anne Sullivan took the approach used by Laura Bridgeman and other techniques she learned at Perkins University. For example, spelling the item's name onto Keller's hand, but Helen Keller is still confused.

Helen Keller on her own progress in the face of Anne Sullivan's approach. Anne Sullivan spelled d-o-l-l on Helen Keller's hand one morning. Helen Keller pretended to understand, imitating Anne Sullivan and spelling the word back in confusion. When Anne Sullivan tried to spell "doll" with another toy in Helen's hand, Helen was furious. She didn't understand why more than one object could be a doll, which she threw on the ground and broke.

Ultimately, it's water that changes everything. One day, Anne Sullivan spelled w-a-t-e-r in Helen Keller's hand and put the hand in the water. Helen Keller immediately realized that everything has a name; she quickly began to grasp the basics of language and had a real moment of change! She wants to know the names of everything, she wants to know the names of everything. According to Anne Sullivan:

"By March 31, I found that Helen Keller knew 18 nouns and three verbs. Below is a list of those words. Those with a cross at the end are her own requests. of.doll, cup, pin, key, dog, hat, cup, box, water, milk, candy, eyes (X), fingers (X), toes (X), head (X), cake, baby, mother, sitting, stand, go. On April 1st she learned the nouns knife, fork, spoon, saucer, tea, papa; bed, and the verb "run"

Use your hands when your eyes and ears are not working

Helen Keller at Anne Sullivan absorbed the words of over 100 objects, as well as actions and concepts in the weeks following her water breakthrough. Helen Keller wanted to touch everything, to know their names, and to spell it for others.

Helen Keller says:

"I do nothing but explore with my hands, learning the name of every object I touch; the more I touch things and learn their names and uses, the more I build with the rest of the world The more you feel in the relationship, the happier and more confident you are. "

As Anne Sullivan continues to stay with Helen Keller, the use of the hand remains important for reading, writing and speaking. Keller uses her fingers to learn Braille and letter shapes and when people speak Touching lips and throat.

Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller play outside together as part of the educational process

Helen Keller's curiosity and thirst for knowledge led Anne Sullivan to abandon traditional structuring The idea of ​​the course, the two spend as much time outside as possible. Helen Keller reacts to the sunlight on her face, smelling and touching flowers, trees and whatever else she can find.

Helen Keller later wrote Her story with Anne Sullivan:

"I love reading and studying outside, and the woods in the sun. All of my early courses had forest scents - pine needles, resinous, mixed with wild grapes.Sitting in the gracious shade of a tree, I learned to think, and everything helped me learn. "

Helen Keller also learned the truth about nature. One day, she and Anne Sullivan were trapped in a thunderstorm, and Helen Keller, who had climbed a tree, was quickly trapped and the wind was howling , pouring rain. After the storm passed, Anne Sullivan helped her down, but then Helen Keller remained afraid of trees for a long time. However, she eventually overcame this fear and soon began to Climbing and playing in the trees. Through these experiences, according to Helen Keller, she "learned from life itself".

They get a new skill, and a new feeling each time

Helen Keller Quick to learn languages ​​and take information well. Helen Keller was not particularly fond of it, although Anne Sullivan also taught basic arithmetic, and later taught her botany and zoology.

Helen Keller later began writing. She wrote letters to the principal and family of the Perkins School and established a correspondence with Alexander Graham Bell. Anne Sullivan asked Helen Keller to write to the Perkins School The student wrote letters, which showed that her communication skills had improved rapidly. The first letter, written in September 1887, included "Helen Keller will write to the little blind girl, Helen Keller and the teacher will come to see the little girl Blind Woman” and other passages; and another letter from the following month, showing her tremendous improvement in sentence making and comprehension. In October, Helen Keller wrote “I will write you a letter” and “ My teacher and I will go to Boston to see you".

By 1890, Helen Keller had learned the basics of language at the Perkins School. She resolved that by touching the lips, cheeks and throat of her teacher Sarah Fuller, to practice the sounds she has learned.Through practice and determination, Helen Keller was able to talk to her family the next time she came home and silenced them in awe and pride.

"My eyes are now full of tears as I think of how my mother hugged me so tightly, speechless and trembling with joy, listening to every syllable I said, And my father was in silence. Expressing his pride and love."

Anne Sullivan encouraged Keller to talk to herself

When Helen Keller could not find anyone to talk to, she muttered to herself. According to Anne Sullivan:

"She started spelling from the moment she woke up in the morning and continued throughout the day. If I refused to speak to her, she would spell into her own hand, apparently in Have the most vivid conversation with yourself."

Anne Sullivan was careful not to hold Helen Keller back, but the practice became so ingrained in Helen Keller that she started doing it before she knew it.

Anne Sullivan and Keller traveled together and made friends

Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller made their first trip to Perkins School in Boston in 1888, and before that they had visited many times Helen Keller's family in Tennessee, as Anne Sullivan encouraged Helen Keller's parents to let her experience the world. A visit to the Perkins School, which allowed Helen Keller to communicate with other blind and deaf children, began at the school where Helen Keller began to spend her winters and continued until 1892, when Keller wrote " The poem "The Frost King" was censored for plagiarism. She and Anne Sullivan later left Perkins and never returned as students or teachers.

At the time, Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller were becoming famous thanks to a newspaper article by Alexander Graham Bell and were invited to Washington, D.C., to participate in his 1887 study for the deaf The opening ceremony of the establishment of the Volta Bureau. They returned the following year, and in May 1888 Bell accompanied them to a meeting with President Grover Cleveland.

Helen Keller soon started getting the most attention, and then she and Anne Sullivan both met Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain Twain), like her relationship with Bell, Helen Keller and Twain developed a friendship that lasted for many years.

Anne Sullivan is very patient and long-term

Anne Sullivan uses repetition to make learning fun, keeping Helen Keller interested and dedicated to her students. She was with Helen Keller for many years and even accompanied her to Radcliffe College in 1900. Anne Sullivan also attended all of Helen Keller's classes, spelling lectures for her and translating textbooks for her that were not available in Braille. Helen Keller explains the difficulties she and Anne Sullivan faced, especially when it came to learning Latin, German and history. It was tiring for Anne Sullivan and her own vision was affected, but Keller graduated in 1904 with a bachelor's degree.

After Helen Keller graduated, she and Anne Sullivan moved to a farm in Warrensham, Massachusetts, where Anne Sullivan met John Albert Massey. She and Macy married in 1905, and although Anne Sullivan's health declined thereafter, she continued to work with her. In 1914, Polly Thompson was hired as Helen Keller's secretary, and after Anne Sullivan's death in 1936, Thompson became Helen's chaperone.

Anne Sullivan gave Keller the tools to continue learning and sharing

Helen Keller never stopped learning because of the education Anne Sullivan provided. Helen Keller's communication skills have brought her worldwide fame as a writer, poet and speaker. She became an advocate for the blind and deaf, and for humanitarianism in general.

In her autobiography, Helen Keller attributes her love of learning and life to Anne Sullivan, describing the two as inextricably linked.

"It was my teacher's genius, compassion, love and educational strategies that allowed me to grow rapidly in the first few years of my education... My joy in all things beautiful, how much is innate, has How much is due to her influence, I can never judge...all my best things belong to her. There is not a single talent in me, or a single desire or joy, not awakened by her loving touch."

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