Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880–June 1, 1968) was an American author and educator. She is rightly described as “one of the twentieth century’s leading advocates for individuals with disabilities” and is known for “her personal triumph over the limitations of both blindness and deafness”. Though born as a healthy child, Keller was afflicted at the age of 19 months with an illness (possibly scarlet fever) that left her blind and deaf. She lived thereafter “at sea, in a dense fog”. Brought up by caring and anxious parents, she communicated mainly through home signs till the age of seven. Examined by Alexander Graham Bell at this age, a 20-year-old female tutor, Anne Sullivan (Macy), from the Perkins Institution for the Blind (Boston), was arranged for her. Sullivan, herself partially blind, was a remarkable teacher and remained with Keller from March 1887 until her own death in October 1936.
The arrival of Sullivan was a turning point in Keller’s life, for she helped Keller to “see things” by teaching her the correspondence between words and objects. Sullivan was an extraordinary instructor and taught her reading and writing, and the two formed an intense and lasting relationship. Sullivan’s role in Helen’s life was to provide her with hope as her dedicated caretaker, teacher, defender, and life-long friend and companion.
Sullivan taught Keller how to communicate using sign language. This had a transformative impact on young Keller, as it opened up a whole new world of opportunities for learning and human connection. Her assistance, with utmost patience, gave Keller hope for a better and fuller life. Without Sullivan, Keller would have been walled into a dark and hopeless world. In simple words, Sullivan proved to be the “lifeline” of Keller.
She made raised letters for Keller to learn the alphabet. In her The Story of My Life (described as “one of the most inspiring stories of our time” in this book, Keller as a young woman narrates her own story which is “complex, poignant, and filled with love”), Keller holds Sullivan in the highest esteem and is feels indebted to her for her enormous efforts, working far beyond expectations and ensuring Keller’s ongoing success in everything she does. She even recalls the day when Sullivan had arrived, describing it as the “most important day I remember in all my life.”
The first word Keller learnt was water. Sullivan taught her the word by writing the letters on the child’s hands while water poured over them. Once Keller caught on, she made very rapid progress. By the end of the first day, she had already learnt thirty (30) words. All of her education helped her to communicate. She began writing for magazines, primarily about blindness, which was uncommon at that time, as blindness was often associated with venereal diseases. She, thus, broke down the (prevailing) barriers. Helen was also known to give lectures. Moreover, she established an endowment for the American Foundation for the Blind and co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union. Sullivan stayed with Keller until her (Sullivan’s) death in 1936. Helen Keller died in 1968 after a series of strokes. Today, Helen Keller is not only known for her literary contribution but also as an “American activist for the physically disabled”, who “traveled the world over, fighting for improvement in the education and life of the physically handicapped.”
Inspiring lessons that I learnt from Keller’s life story
I believe that good education is incomplete without good teachers. Teachers not only nurture and inspire future generations to think and create but teach them to be loving and caring human beings as well. This, I believe, is the primary role and responsibility of a teacher. However, the best teachers are those who motivate, encourage and ignite the habit of self-learning, introspection and course correction among students. In this regard, the role of teachers-as-mentors is also personal: their lessons stay with students for a lifetime. There are some who hesitate in opening up to their teachers. This could be because of the sheer respect the students have for their teachers or it may be out of fear, which is normally evident in student-teacher relationships.
The way Helen mentioned about the role of her teacher (Anne Sullivan), I too feel blessed to have in my life teachers whose “arrival” was no less than a “turning point” in my life after I joined college last year (2021). Two such teachers in my college life are Dr Tauseef Ahmad Parray (Assistant Professor, Islamic Studies), an accomplished writer/author and budding scholar, and Mr Ishfaq Hussain Bhat (Assistant Professor, English), a talented and sympathetic teacher. In the former’s arrival, I found a compass which gave me direction to be my best version, and in the latter I found the first and important teacher who gave me the foundation of my new life.
Teachers do not only have to help students master the teaching material, but also to transfer skills that will be useful in students’ personal lives. The role of a teacher is to “ignite (their) minds”, to refine and polish their skills and potential and to make them creative, well-informed and innovative individuals; in a word, “an asset” for the society.
As a Muslim, I believe that Islam considers the profession of teaching to be noble and sacred. I also believe that other religions and religious traditions also hold the role and job of a teacher in high esteem. No doubt there are many professions in the world and everyone has the right to choose theirs according to their inclination, interest and aptitude. All professions are important for a nation’s development, but no development, material or spiritual, is possible without the selfless services of a teacher. All sciences, skills, arts and crafts in diverse civilisations and cultures are due to teachers. They are rightly called as the “nation builders”.
In Islamic tradition, the roots of teaching are linked to the prophetic missions. Allah played the role of teacher (Educator) when He taught Prophet Adam (AS) the names of everything. All prophets were teachers for humanity at large. Besides, the Quran narrates the story of Prophet Musa (AS) and Khizr indicating the cordiality and discipline in teacher-student relationship in order to understand the essence of every happening. Similarly, the Last Prophet (PBUH) is also reported to have said: “I have been sent to you as a teacher.”
Though a teacher, in present times, is not getting the respect and appreciation that they deserve, but those who want to contribute to society by training the young generation, they still choose teaching as their profession. Thus, I believe that teaching is a profession which requires great courage and moral strength. It is because of good teachers that countries like Japan and Germany (who faced defeat and destruction in World War II) were able to rise from the ashes. Their teachers contributed significantly in fulfilling their national agenda and the two nations developed not only socio-economically but in intellectual and technological aspects as well.
Every teacher deals with hundreds of students. Teachers are required to be well aware and updated while imparting value-based education. They should not only remain abreast with the new developments but should also keep vigil on the current situation of the country and of the world in general. In short, they should be the source of knowledge and guidance for students.
The lessons given by a teacher have lasting effects on the students’ lives. I believe that nature is our greatest teacher and I find many similarities between our teachers and nature, because we learn many things from both in our daily life. Our teachers deserve respect and admiration and so does nature, because both are compassionate and guide us through life. The ideas for many inventions have come from nature. Therefore, it’s not odd to add that teachers teach us inside the (four-walled) classroom while nature teaches us in a classroom without walls, i.e., the natural environment. By spending some time with nature, we will be able to learn the art of spending a happy and healthy life. There have been a number of inventions and discoveries in science and technology that were possible through the deep insight into the “processes of Nature”. Nature has many colours, shapes, designs, structures, shades which inspire human beings to look with depth and discover more than what there is.
Many teachers are very creative. They adopt creative teaching methods to make clear any complex or difficult concept for their students. A creative teacher ingites and kindles the sparks of hidden potential and aptitude of students. A good teacher guides students to polish the abilities and skills they possess, and generates ideas and possibilities that are useful in one form or the other.
Teachers are the ones who motivate students to do better in every domain and help them in achieving their goals. Through their guidance, a student knows how to differentiate between right and wrong. Teachers, for me, are the ultimate role models in a student’s life; they must be respected, acknowledged and appreciated for their role.

The writer is a BA 3rd Semester Student at Govt. Degree College Sogam (Lolab), Kupwara. [email protected]

Saqib Sarwar Mir