Kim Nielsen

Social Change and Development

(Women’s Studies, History)

“The Woman and the Teacher:

A Biography of Anne Sullivan Macy”

Anne Sullivan Macy is rarely, if ever, referred to without an accompanying reference to her famed student. Though widely known as the worker of educational miracles in the life of the deaf-blind child Helen Keller, Macy remains an obscured historical figure. The Woman and the Teacher: A Biography of Anne Sullivan Macy intends to tell the story of this fascinating figure. Shifting the analytical spotlight, examining Macy as more than just an auxiliary to the Keller story, will undoubtedly reveal a far more important historical figure than we previously knew.

Several themes bring this life narrative together. Though the archetypal “self-made man,” Macy was female, disabled, and of (to her) shameful beginnings. The narrow but changing economic and professional opportunities available to women shaped her life. Education became her means of making a living, and understanding her educational methods and beliefs will be pivotal to understanding her. Interwoven in all these themes is an analysis of the complex relationship between Anne Sullivan Macy and Helen Keller—between teacher and student, aide and disabled person. While the two clearly cared for one another and enjoyed the intellectual excitement of each other’s company, the relationship fostered difficult personal emotions. While a child and student, Keller depended greatly upon Macy; as both grew older the teacher became increasingly dependent upon her student for income, social status, and Keller became Macy’s personal aid. Understanding the changing dynamics of this relationship is vital to understanding Macy as woman, as educator, and as a public figure.