Anne Sullivan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne Sullivan
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Sullivan in 1887
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| Born |
Johanna Mansfield Sullivan
April 14, 1866 |
| Died | October 20, 1936 (aged 70) Forest Hills, Queens, New York, U.S.
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| Resting place | Washington National Cathedral |
| Spouse(s) |
John Albert Macy
(m. 1905; died 1932) |
Anne Sullivan Macy (born as Johanna Mansfield Sullivan; April 14, 1866 – October 20, 1936) was an American teacher. She is best known for being the teacher and lifelong friend of Helen Keller.
When she was five, Anne got an eye disease called trachoma. This made her partly blind and unable to read or write. She later studied at the Perkins School for the Blind. After graduating at age 20, she became Helen Keller's teacher.
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Anne's Early Life
Anne Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866, in Feeding Hills, Agawam, Massachusetts, in the United States. Her full name on her baptism paper was Johanna Mansfield Sullivan. But everyone called her Anne or Annie from the start. She was the oldest child of Thomas and Alice Sullivan. Her parents had moved from Ireland to the U.S. during the Great Famine.
When Anne was five, she got a serious eye infection called trachoma. This caused her a lot of pain and made her almost completely blind over time. When she was eight, her mother died from tuberculosis. Two years later, her father left the children. He felt he could not raise them alone.
Anne and her younger brother, James (Jimmie), were sent to a poor, crowded place called an almshouse. This was in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Their younger sister, Mary, went to live with an aunt. Jimmie had a weak hip. He died from tuberculosis just four months after they arrived. Anne stayed at Tewksbury after he died. She had two eye operations there, but they did not help her vision.
Later, Anne was sent to a hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts. She had another eye operation there, but it also failed. She helped the nuns in the hospital and ran errands. In July of that year, she went to the city infirmary. She had one more unsuccessful operation there. Then, she was sent back to Tewksbury.
In 1880, a state inspector named Franklin Benjamin Sanborn visited Tewksbury. Anne begged him to let her go to the Perkins School for the Blind. Her wish was granted within a few months.
Her Education Journey
Anne started her studies at the Perkins School on October 7, 1880. Her first years at Perkins were hard because of her rough manners. But she managed to connect with some teachers. She made good progress with her learning.
At Perkins, Anne became friends with Laura Bridgman. Laura was a Perkins graduate. She was the first blind and deaf person to be educated there. Anne learned the manual alphabet from Laura. This is a way to spell words by touching someone's hand. While at Perkins, Anne had more eye operations. These greatly improved her vision.
Anne's Teaching Career
The summer after Anne graduated, the director of Perkins School, Michael Anagnos, got a letter. It was from Arthur Keller, Helen Keller's father. He was looking for a teacher for his seven-year-old blind and deaf daughter. Anagnos quickly suggested Sullivan for the job. She started working on March 3, 1887, at the Kellers' home in Alabama. When she arrived, she had some disagreements with Helen's parents. However, she quickly connected with Helen.
This was the start of a 49-year friendship. Sullivan changed from being Helen's teacher to her governess. Finally, she became her close companion and friend.
At first, Sullivan used a strict teaching plan. She introduced new words all the time. But she soon changed her method. She saw it was not working well for Helen. Instead, she began to teach Helen words based on Helen's own interests. She would spell each word into Helen's palm. This method worked very well. In six months, Helen learned 575 words. She also learned some multiplication tables and the Braille system.
Sullivan strongly encouraged Helen's parents to send her to the Perkins School. She believed Helen could get a better education there. Once they agreed, Sullivan took Helen to Boston in 1888. She stayed with Helen there. Sullivan kept teaching her bright student. Helen soon became famous for how much she learned.
With help from the school's director, Anagnos, Helen became a public symbol for the school. This helped the school get more money and donations. It made Perkins the most famous school for the blind in the country. However, an accusation of copying against Helen upset Sullivan. She left Perkins and never returned. But she still had a lot of influence on the school. Sullivan also stayed a close friend to Helen. She kept helping with Helen's education. This included Helen earning a degree from Radcliffe College.
Her Personal Life
On May 3, 1905, Anne married John Albert Macy. He was a teacher at Harvard University and a writer. He had helped Helen Keller with her books. When Anne married, she was already living with Helen as her teacher. So, Macy moved into their home.
However, after a few years, their marriage began to have problems. By 1914, they separated. Macy seemed to fade from her life over the years. They never officially divorced. Macy died in 1932 from a heart attack. Anne Sullivan never married again.
Awards and Honors
In 1932, Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan both received special honors. They were given honorary fellowships from the Educational Institute of Scotland. They also received honorary degrees from Temple University.
In 1955, Helen Keller received an honorary degree from Harvard University. In 1956, the director's house at the Perkins School was named the Keller-Macy Cottage.
In 2003, Anne Sullivan was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame. This honored her great achievements.
Anne's Death
Anne Sullivan had poor eyesight for most of her life. By 1901, after having a stroke at age 35, she became completely blind. On October 15, 1936, she had a serious illness. She fell into a coma and died five days later. She was 70 years old. She passed away in the Forest Hills area of Queens, New York. Helen Keller was holding her hand.
Helen said Anne was very restless in her last month. But in her last week, she seemed to return to her kind self. Anne Sullivan was cremated. Her ashes were placed in a memorial at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. She was the first woman to be honored this way for her achievements. When Helen Keller died in 1968, her ashes were placed next to Anne's.
Anne in Movies and Plays
Anne Sullivan is the main character in a play called The Miracle Worker. It was written by William Gibson. It was first shown on TV in 1957. Teresa Wright played Anne in that show.
The Miracle Worker then became a play on Broadway. Later, it was made into a movie in 1962. Both the play and the movie starred Anne Bancroft as Anne Sullivan. Patty Duke played Helen Keller in the Broadway play and the 1962 movie. Patty Duke later played Anne Sullivan in a TV remake in 1979.
Other actresses have played Anne Sullivan too. Blythe Danner played her in The Miracle Continues. Roma Downey played her in the TV movie Monday After the Miracle (1998). Alison Elliott played her in a TV movie in 2000. Alison Pill played her on Broadway in 2010.
Images for kids
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Helen Keller and Sullivan vacationing at Cape Cod in July 1888.
See also
In Spanish: Anne Sullivan para niños
