The Miracle Worker

Hello everyone,

I highly recommend the 1962 film version of "The Miracle Worker," directed by Arthur Penn and starring Ann Bancroft and Patty Duke. William Gibson wrote the screenplay, which was based on his stage play.

This is one of the best "great teacher" films ever made, mostly because it is taken directly from the writings of Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan. It compresses facts and characters, as all good drama does, but it tells the truth more thoroughly than most other films about teaching.

I find that many new teachers come to the profession with their image of teaching based on an amalgam of what they experienced in school and what they've seen in films. The idea of most "great teacher" films is that a new, inexperienced teacher comes into a troubled classroom, stumbles onto great teaching--mostly because they see contemporary life more effectively than their burnt-out peers--, and turns around the lives of students in one short year--mostly by being cooler than everyone else around. By now, I hope that most of you have found out that this is bunk, even though many of these films are based on true stories.

"The Miracle Worker," though superior, is, to a large extent, the same premise. An inexperienced teacher comes to a troubled student and helps the student. However, part of what distinguishes "The Miracle Worker" over other "great teacher" films is that the teacher helps her student by using sound educational principles, not superficial coolness.

You know the story, don't you? Partially blind Annie Sullivan was hired to live with the Keller family to teach their blind/deaf daughter Helen. Sullivan was able to successfully teach Helen how to communicate with the seeing/hearing world by linking Helen's infant memories of water with hand spelling. Helen went on to attend Radcliffe College, graduated with honors, and supported herself throughout her life by lecturing, writing, and advocating for the blind and the dear.

Here are some of the key points that "The Miracle Worker" makes that I find to be sound pedagogical principles:

First, no learning occurs without discipline. Sullivan took almost two months teaching Helen discipline. She tied it into some elementary curricular needs (the equivalent of modern Life Skills or Community Based Instruction)--she taught Helen grooming, polite public behavior, proper table manners, and homemaking skills. Her overall objective--communication--was integrated into everything she did, however, though her primary focus at first was teaching Helen to behave so she could be taught. (Please overlook the acceptance of corporal punishment in 1880's Alabama. We can accomplish the same ends without wrestling and slapping our students.)

Second, Annie ensured that her instruction was accurate and her methods were continually refined. She constantly sought advice from established researchers; she was scrupulous in making sure that her spelling was accurate (remember that all communication was spelled); she corrected herself when she realized she made mistakes; and she varied her instruction based on her assessments that Helen was not learning what she needed to learn.

Third, Annie allowed her love for Helen to show. The drama emphasizes Annie Sullivan's difficulties with close relationships and trust, but there is a point in the film and play when she literally cannot resist having affection for the child she has struggled with. This is a turning point in Helen's education. There is no hypocrisy; no forced affection or affectation; there is nothing inappropriate or unseemly. In fact, there is resistance on Annie's part to the affection she feels. But as she shows the affection and Helen senses it, Helen turns the corner away from forced discipline toward self-discipline.

Finally, Annie continued. She did not kill herself for a big splash, then leave for a book and film deal. The teacher remained after the breakthrough (the great moment when Helen made the connection in communication that made everything else possible) and continued to teach her gifted but troubled student. She and Helen Keller remained life-long friends and companions.

Keep those things in mind for all your students: discipline comes first; discipline and content are integrated; instruction must be thorough and accurate; constant reflection refines your approach; love your students--even when they don't return the feeling; and prepare yourselves for the long haul.

Jeff Combe