Anne Sullivan: A Teacher Who Opened Doors

In the spring of 1887, a teacher and her young student stood beside a water pump in Alabama. As cool water flowed over one of the child's hands, the teacher spelled letters into her other palm. She repeated the movements: W-A-T-E-R. Suddenly, the child understood that the movements stood for the water she could feel.

The teacher was Anne Sullivan, and her student was Helen Keller. Their work together would make Sullivan one of the most famous teachers in American history. But long before that day at the pump, Sullivan had faced obstacles of her own.

A difficult childhood

Johanna Mansfield Sullivan, known as Anne, was born in Massachusetts in 1866. Her parents were Irish immigrants, and the family had little money. As a young child, Anne developed a serious eye disease called trachoma. It caused pain and damaged her eyesight. For much of her life, she could see only with difficulty.

Her mother died when Anne was a child. Later, her father left the family, and Anne and her younger brother, Jimmie, were sent to a crowded state institution in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. People who were poor, sick, or had disabilities lived there, often in harsh conditions. Jimmie died not long after they arrived.