Today, I’m thankful for the mentors who had a marked impact on me.
Many of us are fortunate to receive advice, guidance, and wisdom from our mentors. By graciously affording us their precious time and selfless energy, these individuals provide us with practical skills, technical know-how, and staunch courage to flourish in our careers.
Today, I’m reminded of one of the great mentee/mentor relationships. When Helen Keller was 19 months of age, she contracted a catastrophic infection that rendered Helen permanently blind and deaf. Over the next 5 years, the young girl struggled to communicate with her family. As her temper tantrums intensified, her exasperated family turned to renowned experts at the Perkins Institute for the Blind. The staff at the Boston institution recommended that Helen be paired with one of their recent graduates, Anne Sullivan.
On this day (Mar 3) in 1887, Anne returned home with the Keller family to Alabama, where she taught Helen the technique of finger spelling. Anne would repeatedly place an object in one of Helen’s hand (e.g., a doll), and then spell out the corresponding word (e.g., ‘D-O-L-L’) in Helen’s other hand. Although initially recalcitrant, Helen caught on, and, boy, did she ever. An insatiable thirst for knowledge was born, and her live-in teacher, Anne, continued to satisfy this urge. By the age of 10, Helen had advanced enough that she was taking speech classes in Boston. From there, Helen advanced her academic studies and her communication skills by attending increasingly more challenging schools for deaf and blind children. All the while, Anne attended classes with Helen, helping to interpret classroom instructions, lessons, or other text.
At the age of 20, Helen was admitted to Radcliffe College of Harvard University, where she proceeded to attend classes, with Anne at her side, for the next 4 years. Helen improved her speaking skills, while also mastering touch-sign language, touch-lip reading, Braille, and typing. After college, Helen continued to reside with Anne, while became a famous author, a social activist, and a philanthropist. She eventually testified in front of Congress for the improved welfare of individuals with disabilities and co-founded several famous organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Helen essentially changed the world.
Of course, none of this would have happened without the commitment, loyalty, and staunch support of her mentor – Anne Sullivan. Anne taught Helen that progress is always possible, if one approaches life’s hindrances with a little patience and a lot of perseverance.
Take a moment to thank one of your mentors today for helping you overcome life’s hindrances.
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