Reading, Writing and 'Rthmetic

Today is the anniversary of the day that Annie Sullivan arrived in Alabama to begin teaching Helen Keller. Annie Sullivan is probably one of the most famous teachers in American history, and Helen Keller the most famous student. Contrary to popular belief, Helen Keller was not the first deaf/blind person to learn language; rather, Laura Bridgman was (which is an interesting story that relates to how all those antebellum reform movements I mentioned yesterday were connected).¹ But Annie Sullivan did manage to help Helen Keller achieve heights no one would have thought possible. Previous education for the blind was aimed mostly at making them self-sufficient, teaching them skills so that they wouldn't be a burden on their families or society. Annie Sullivan focused on helping Helen learn to communicate with and understand the world, tutoring her for her entire educational career, as far as Radcliffe College. This speaks of Ms. Sullivan's incredible devotion to her student. Obviously, Helen could not have made it to Radcliffe without a good deal of native intelligence, but without her teacher to help her unlock it, she would probably have been stuck at her parents' home for the rest of her life. But Ms. Sullivan was determined and understood the importance of discipline, the importance of using other senses to help Helen connect, and a good deal about language acquisition. She essentially used language immersion to teach Helen, rather than a rote curriculum, which probably accounts for a large part of her success. She said "The child happily interested in his work learns quickly and without conscious effort"², which I think those of us who have survived school can all relate too.
She also had some other very wise things to say about education: Education in the light of present-day knowledge and need calls for some spirited and creative innovations both in the substance and the purpose of current pedagogy. A strenuous effort must be made to train young people to think for themselves and take independent charge of their lives. Only when we have worked purposefully and long on a problem that interests us, and in hope and in despair wrestled with it in silence and alone relying on our own unshaken will—only then have we achieved education.

I know that I was lucky enough to have several truly excellent teachers, both male and female in my life. I had some bad ones too, but the good far outnumbered the bad. Take a minute today and think about the teachers you had and how they've influenced your life. And consider especially that so many great women's stories start with the fact that they had an education that taught them to think for themselves and opened up their minds, making them want more for themselves than society said they could have.

Annie Sullivan's great gift to Helen Keller was the gift of words and literacy. If you'd like to share that gift with a child, there are many ways you can. Volunteer at your local literacy program or library. Below, I've included two ways you can help without even leaving your seat.






1. I highly recommend The Education of Laura Bridgman by Ernest Freeberg if you're interested in learning more about the story of Laura and her teacher, Samuel Gridley Howe.

2. source