If You Give Me Three Days of Light: The Best Collection of Helen Keller

Chapter 30 The Teacher's Story (7)
Was it wrong to hire Annie to educate Helen?Could she just stand by and watch poor Helen suffer?Arthur said he couldn't stand the noise coming from the dining room, he was restless, he didn't want to stay at home, and he hasn't returned yet.She expected that when he came back, he would say, "Let her go!"

Fortunately, James is not on the same side as his dad.When Anne first came, James was quite prejudiced against her, and he suspected that this fledgling girl couldn't do anything?Now he has changed his view and thinks that she is the best candidate to discipline Helen, and the whole family should do their best to keep her.

As Helen's mother—Ms. Keller herself is full of contradictions? "I really don't know what to do?" She was very desperate.I have been absent-minded all afternoon, and I don't know how many times I have been poked by stitches.

Just then Annie appeared at the door and said, "Mrs. Keller, I've been looking everywhere for you. Can we talk?"

Mrs. Keller said, "Okay, I was just about to talk to you too!"

Annie didn't have the patience to listen to her, and rushed to say: "Mrs. Keller, I thought about it in the room for a long time, and I think there is only one way to teach Helen, and that is that Helen has to leave the family, otherwise I can't educate her at all."

Mrs. Keller was petrified: "What did you say?"

Anne explained: "Mrs. Keller, before I came here, I had studied Laura's medical records and learning process. I was too naive at that time, thinking that I could teach Helen all kinds of ways to communicate with others when I came here. I know that she is like a wild horse that has run out of the rein. The most important job now is to tame her savagery and willfulness that she has become accustomed to for the past 5 years, and to tame her wildness. I know you all think she is very pitiful, and she gives way every time. Her, pamper her, listen to her. I'm sorry, this approach is completely wrong. You spoiled her, which is why she doesn't listen to her elders, and she is unruly. Please understand, you are Killed her. Now I want her to learn to obey, otherwise I can't teach her at all."

"Things like this morning will definitely happen in the future. So now there are two ways: one is to leave her alone and let her go, but if this continues, she is not much better than a domestic animal. Her existence is at best like It's just an unruly horse from the Keller family!"

Mrs. Keller cried sadly: "What should I do? Is there no hope at all?"

"Mrs. Keller, please don't lose heart, there is another way, and that is if we leave here, there will be some hope. If we stay here, she has something to rely on, and will continue to fight with me, and then she will hold a grudge against me This will destroy her, so I have to pack up and go back to my hometown. So please promise me that I will take her out of the house and be alone for a while, so that we can communicate with each other calmly. Let her understand me, trust me I, things will turn around. Please promise!

Mrs. Keller was half suspicious and looked at her blankly.Annie sat on the chair, her body moved forward unconsciously, she just missed kneeling down to beg Mrs. Keller. "Mrs. Keller, this is the only way out."

In the end, Mrs. Keller reluctantly nodded her head in agreement. She said sullenly, "Okay, but Helen's father will definitely not agree, and will definitely be angry, so let me convince him!"

After hearing this, Annie said happily: "Thank you, Mrs. Keller, I promise everything will be fine. But where shall we live?"

Mrs. Keller replied: "Maybe you can live in a small house in the garden. It is nearby and very convenient. Although there is only one house, it is very tidy.

"As long as there is one room, Helen and I can share one room." Anne was very happy.

As Mrs. Keller had predicted, Captain Keller was upset by the proposal.Although Mrs. Keller repeated what Anne said: "This is the last ray of hope, this is the only way out..." Captain Keller still wanted to expel this stubborn northern girl.

Mrs. Keller said, the garden cottage has a quiet environment and is close at hand, so what does it matter if Helen stays there for a while?Although Captain Keller was reluctant in every possible way, he finally agreed after being persuaded by his wife.

"It's only allowed to stay for two weeks, do you hear me? It's limited to two weeks. In addition, let us see Helen every day." Captain Keller insisted that there should be results within two weeks.

Although Annie thinks that two weeks is far from enough, after all, Captain Keller has already made a step back, and Annie will no longer persist.However, Annie asked Keller's family to watch Helen secretly every day, but not to let the children know that the family was by their side.They can only peep from the window of the hut, and are not allowed to enter the house.

The next day, a new experiment was started, initially fruitless.Every round, Helen fought until she was exhausted before stopping to recharge her energy and prepare for the next fight.After three or four days, the situation changed a little. She began to pay attention to the things around her, and at the same time imitated and learned some words every day.Helen's stubborn temper remained the same, but the number of attacks gradually decreased.One day, I didn't lose my temper all day.Annie reached out to touch her and didn't resist. How exciting it was!Anne's efforts finally had some results.

Captain Keller saw it all.One morning, he looked out the window and saw his daughter stringing beads.The first grain is large and rough, the next two are small and smooth, and the third has three corners.Helen followed the sequence carefully, without any mistakes.

Captain Keller felt a lot, how quiet, did he underestimate this northern girl?Was she really sure about what she was doing?May God bless her! "

This "little beast" learned to obey.Anne was slightly relieved, but not complacent.Their goal moved to the second stage: to guide Helen in contact with the outside world and establish a relationship.

Annie sat next to Helen and continued to spell in Helen's hands, day after day without interruption.Afterwards, Helen respelled these characters in the palm of Annie who was waiting.Helen concentrated on her studies and finally managed to spell a few nouns and a few verbs.Includes doll, mug, pegs, water, hat and more.She learned faster and faster, but she still didn't understand the special meaning of these words.

The two-week deadline for the Garden Shed was up soon, and how much she hoped that Helen could stand out and learn something.She longed for Helen to understand the meaning contained in the words. "Learn quickly! Helen, please." Annie begged sincerely.

The last afternoon at the garden cottage was fast approaching, and Captain Keller entered the house. "Miss Anne, let's go home! If we hurry up, we can catch dinner!"

Helen was playing by the fire in another corner of the room.She looked up and sniffed, it was Dad's smell!She let out a cry of surprise and jumped into her father's arms.Dad hugged his daughter tightly.

Helen tilted her head and sniffed another smell that she was very familiar with.Papa brought his hounds!Helen groped, and finally wrapped her arms around the furry mass—her old friend Bailey.

Anne pleaded with Captain Keller: "You can see how comfortable she is, and you can't believe how fast she learns. Let her concentrate on studying for a few more days and it will be over. Give me a few more days, please!" "

"Let's talk!" Captain Keller said haha.

Although Annie was unwilling, she couldn't bear to disturb the joy of their father and daughter reunion.

Suddenly Captain Keller asked in confusion: "Miss Anne, what is she doing?"

It turned out that Helen was sitting on the floor with her knees bent, holding Bailey's front foot on her hand, and her other hand was spelling back and forth on the dog's paw. It turned out that she was spelling words one by one on Bailey's paw.

Anne kept laughing and said, "She's teaching Bailey how to spell!"

Captain Keller sighed after waking up from a dream: "You mean our Helen can spell?" Then he couldn't help laughing: "How cute! How does a dog learn English?"

Wed

One morning after returning home, Helen and Anne sat side by side on the bedroom floor.Annie took Helen's hand firmly, spelled "cup" in her hand, and then handed a cup to Helen's hand for Helen to touch.Helen obediently spelled back the "cup" in Anne's hands.But today she is a little absent-minded, because she has no interest in this monotonous game.The thick spring outside quietly infiltrates through the windows, and the flowers are blooming, and the vegetation is verdant.Helen tugged Annie's sleeve lightly, and she begged Annie to take her out.

Annie continued to spell: "Wait a minute, we can only go out after class is over."

Helen only felt that Anne was spelling out a series of things in her palm, but she didn't understand the joint meaning formed by their connection.All these days, deep down in her heart, she had felt that this stranger wanted her to grasp something, and she was still too puzzled to picture the truth.Not knowing how to respond to the voices of strangers made her very frustrated.And now the flowers outside the window are fragrant, the grass is fragrant, and spring is calling!She yanked Annie's hand hard.

Annie saw that Helen seemed to lose her temper again, so she said, "Okay! Okay! I'm not ready to fight you yet!" She took Helen out, basking in the warm spring sunshine, aimlessly Roam in the garden.Helen was extremely happy, jumping lightly on the grass, she had already forgotten her homework.Helen occasionally stopped to sniff a small flower or roll in the grass.The warmth of spring and the fragrance of flowers, the beautiful nature aroused their leisurely mood, and they walked to the ancient well hut in the corner of the garden.Helen ran and jumped happily into the hut. She liked the dampness and coolness here on a hot day.Annie followed suit.

Annie picked up the handle of the pump and pressed it up and down repeatedly.Water rushed out from the faucet, splashing everywhere.

At this time, she suddenly had a good idea. She hurriedly grabbed Helen's hand, immersed it in the cold running water, and at the same time spelled "water" in her wet palm.

Helen struggled to take her hand out, but Annie held it tightly, and again and again, tirelessly, wrote the word "water" again and again.

All of a sudden, Helen stopped breaking free like an electric shock, stopped breathing, and concentrated on spelling in her palm. "Water" was poured into her brain from her palm, and in an instant, the light of enlightenment shone on her face, and her chaotic life seemed to wake up from a dream.She suddenly understood, and all the blurred artistic conceptions in the past gradually became clear with the waving of her fingers, and she suddenly understood. "Water," she spelled in Anne's hand.At this moment, the trickle of fluid in the hand, the so-called origin of all things, was originally called "water".

She sat on the ground laughing, shouting, and beating the ground with her fists.Annie knelt down and held her in her arms.Time is precious, Helen broke free in a hurry, and fought again with her hands, she asked Annie to teach her quickly, she danced and touched the faucet.

Annie spelled "tap" several times in her hands.Helen concentrated on studying, the third word took her several minutes, she nodded her head, and the third word had been entered into her brain, adding to her vocabulary, she walked back and forth in the ancient well hut asking to be taught everything she touched The name.

After a few minutes, she stopped suddenly, raised her head, and frowned.Anne knew she had a problem.Helen was frowning and thinking so hard that she kept hitting her head with her fist.

Anne couldn't help laughing her back and forth. "You've finally figured it out. Come on, little rascal! Hold out your hand!"

Slowly she spelled "Helen" in her hands.

At this moment, Helen stood quietly facing Annie, her eyes gradually brightened and she knew that her name was "Helen" and that name was herself.

She took Anne's hand and patted it gently.Annie thought she was saying "thank you," but Helen kept patting.

"So it is!" Annie bent down beside Helen, and wrote "teacher" in her hand.very good!Both have names now.Annie was very satisfied.

Tasting the sweetness of the fruit of knowledge for the first time, Helen continued to beg the "teacher" to teach her new words.Before going to bed, Helen had spelled 30 words.What she learned on this day was more than what she had learned in the past 5 weeks. The most rare thing is that she understood the meaning of these words.

In the middle of the night, Helen's eyelids had already started to fight, but her fingers were still spelling.Annie booed softly: "Enough, enough." She picked up Helen and put them on the bed they shared.Helen was lying comfortably, her fingers still waving restlessly.Annie couldn't help smiling, and said softly, "Honey, there's still tomorrow! I can learn more tomorrow!" She lightly pressed her wriggling little hand under the quilt.

Annie stood beside the bed and breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize how tired she was.She quickly put on her pajamas, climbed into bed and lay beside Helen, "What a wonderful day!" Under the cool sheets, she straightened her feet and relaxed her whole body.

The beautiful day has not yet ended, and Helen has not fallen asleep.She kissed Annie's cheek secretly, and snuggled up in Annie's arm and fell asleep soundly.Annie lay quietly hugging Helen, and when she fell asleep, Annie bent over and kissed Helen back gently.

rapid progress

Annie kept writing words in Helen's hands, and Helen quickly absorbed the knowledge.She knew everything she came into contact with, and like a hungry man devours a good meal, she was eager to make up for the gap of five years.By the end of April, Helen knew more than 5 words.By mid-May, she had learned nearly 4 characters.It is worth mentioning that she also learned a lot of idioms.

Annie thought it was time to teach her to read, so she took out her own teaching equipment, a stack of cardboard cards, each card had simple words printed on it, each word protruded from the card, and Helen could touch and read with her fingers.

Annie took out one at random. "The box", she put the paper card on the box, let Helen's fingers touch the protruding words on the paper card, then took her hand, and carefully studied, "the box".Look left and right, up and down, and all around.She took Helen's hand, again and again, first touching the box and then the words, but Helen still couldn't understand the connection between the two.

Annie tried other words and things patiently, but Helen couldn't solve the riddle after racking her brains.Annie changed her strategy, she used an alphabet board for the blind.Whenever Helen touched a letter with her right finger, she immediately wrote the letter on the palm of Helen's left hand.Helen frowned, she understood the letters on the palm of her left hand, but she didn't know what was touching on her right finger?Her hand moved slowly towards the second raised letter.Annie quickly wrote the letter on her left palm.Helen increased her speed and stroked the series of letters below.Annie didn't dare to be negligent, and wrote in the palm of her hand at the speed of Helen.

Suddenly, Helen became enlightened, and she was beaming with joy, smiling Mimi, as if confessing: The dark cage has been opened, and I am finally fortunate to participate in the vast world.Helen quickly learned the alphabet. The next day, she learned more words. She was very happy and satisfied. After a while, she was no longer reconciled to learning the cardboard flashcards, and began to study some elementary blind words that Anne gave her. Comes in Braille.

Annie originally planned to stop here. She wanted Helen's nervous and active mind to rest for a while to recuperate and adjust.However, Helen could no longer stop studying.One morning Anne gave Helen a card.It said: "Helen will stay in the room to do homework, and the teacher will go downstairs to help mother with things." Helen frowned slightly, but still nodded and agreed: "Okay." So Anne left alone.

Helen was in the room, stroking the card.After a while, she tossed the paper card aside.She already knew all the words on the card, what was the use of touching these things?
She sighed, thinking: Follow the teacher downstairs?When will the teacher come back?
Oh no no!The teacher said to stay in the room and wait for her.

Suddenly, Helen narrowed her eyes and hurriedly picked up the paper cards scattered all over the floor.She touched the card with her fingers.ah!This word was exactly what she wanted, and so was this one word, but what about the rest?Oh, so it's all here.

Helen jumped out of the chair, groped for the wardrobe and opened the door.She quickly checked the paper cards in her hand with her fingers, bent down, put a few paper cards on the ground, and held the remaining paper cards tightly.She ran into the closet and hid.There was no sound outside, so she ran out again, stood by the door of the room, and paid attention to the movement in the hall wholeheartedly. If she didn't feel any vibration, then the teacher must still be downstairs.So Helen hid in the closet again.She was so excited that she couldn't control herself.Her fingers checked the paper cards again and put them on the floor in an orderly manner.She tried her best not to make a sound.There was still silence outside the hall.Time flies very slowly, isn't the teacher going back to the room?Finally she felt a vibration from the stairway, and footsteps came from the hall.That's right!That is the teacher.The teacher is back.

Helen folded her hands on her chest, joyful and excited. She imagined that the teacher would look for her everywhere when he saw the empty room.The teacher will definitely think: Where did this child go?where is helenHelen guessed right.When Annie stepped into the room and found that Helen was gone, she saw the closet door swing slightly.This brat was making trouble again, Annie smiled and gently opened the cabinet door, leading Helen out.Helen triumphantly held a paper card with "Girl" written on it, and the paper card on the ground said "in", "wardrobe" and "inside".That was the first time Helen composed a sentence by herself!

"My little baby!" Annie's smile froze for an instant, and she stood there in a daze, with tears welling up in her eyes and dripping down in clusters.Annie knelt down next to Helen, took her little hand, and wrote: "Helen makes the teacher very happy."

Experience life
Helen, who was locked in the emptiness and darkness in the past, is no longer lonely.Although she cannot hear the disturbing voices in the world and cannot see the colorful world, she has learned to communicate and participate.

She quickly learned to read in raised Braille, to feel with her palms instead of listening, and to spell with her fingers instead of talking.Soon Annie will teach her how to write with a pencil, she will learn Blair Braille, the savior of the blind, and through the exciting reading and writing, she will be able to express her thoughts in words.

Anne is aware of the importance of the natural environment around her and believes that education should include living and hands-on experience.So Helen is not like ordinary teachers, hunched over and buried in books all day long.

(End of this chapter)