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Mrs. Bobb's Language Arts class shared the story of
Hellen Keller at assembly for the whole school to enjoy.
Bravo!
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Imagine that you couldn't see these words
or hear them spoken. But you could still talk, write, read,
and make friends. In fact, you went to college, wrote nearly
a dozen books, traveled all over the world, met 12 U.S.
presidents, and lived to be 87. Well, there was such a
person, and she was born over a hundred years
ago!
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Meet Helen Keller, a woman from the small
farm town of Tuscumbia, Alabama who taught the world to
respect people who are blind and deaf. Her mission came from
her own life; when she was 1 1/2, she was extremely ill, and
she lost both her vision and hearing.
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It was like entering a different world,
with completely new rules, and she got very frustrated. By
the time she was 7, her parents knew they needed help, so
they hired a tutor named Anne Sullivan.
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Anne was strict, but she had a lot of
energy.
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In just a few days, she taught Helen how
to spell words with her hands (called the manual alphabet,
which is part of the sign language that deaf people use.)
The trouble was, Helen didn't understand what the words
meant . . .
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. . . . .. until one morning at the water
pump (like an outdoor water fountain) she got a whole new
attitude.
Anne had Helen hold one hand under the
water. Then she spelled "W-A-T-E-R" into Helen's other hand.
It was electric! The feeling turned into a word.
Immediately, Helen bent down and tapped the ground; Anne
spelled "earth." Helen's brain flew; that day, she learned
30 words.
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From then on, Helen's mind raced ahead.
She learned to speak when she was ten by feeling her
teacher's mouth when she talked. Often people found it hard
to understand her, but she never gave up trying. Meanwhile,
she learned to read French, German, Greek, and Latin in
braille! When she was 20, she entered Radcliffe College, the
women's branch of Harvard University. Her first book, called
The Story of My Life, was translated into 50 languages. (She
used two typewriters: one regular, one braille.) She wrote
ten more books and a lot more articles! How did she find the
time?
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Helen also did research, gave speeches,
and helped raise money for many organizations, such as the
American Foundation for the Blind and the American
Foundation for the Overseas Blind, which is now called Helen
Keller Worldwide. From 1946 and 1957, she went around the
world, speaking about the experiences and rights of people
who are blind. She wound up visiting 39 countries on five
different continents! Helen also inspired many works of art,
including two Oscar-winning movies, and received dozens of
awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the
highest honor that an American civilian can receive. She
died in her sleep in 1968.
Helen became an exceptional leader, once
she saw the potential in her own mind.
Learn even more about Helen Keller at
www.afb.org/helenkeller.asp!
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 Luke
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The CAST: Esther, Trevor, Tyler, McKenna,
Kourtnery
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Hannah, Cameron, Kira Lee
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Photo Gallery Archives
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2001-2002
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2002-2003
Updated March 2004
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