How do the lives and work of both Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller reflect the various roles that human services professionals fulfill in their work?

Quote Reflection: The Professional Helper

“True happiness is not attained through
self-gratification, but through fidelity
to a worthy purpose.”
— Helen Keller –

Sharing the gift of reading is one of the most valuable gifts that one person can give to another. – Anne Sullivan –

Any person who chooses a career as a Human Services professional will be able to relate in a personal way to the two quotes included in this assignment. The lives of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan were closely connected from the time that Anne Sullivan became the teacher of 6-year-old Keller until Sullivan’s death in 1936 at the age of 70.

Anne Sullivan delivered a speech at her June 1886 graduation from the Perkins School for the Blind where she was valedictorian of her class. As she addressed her fellow students, she included these words:

“Duty bids us go forth into active life. Let us go cheerfully, hopefully, and earnestly, and set ourselves to find our especial part.
When we have found it, willingly and faithfully perform it; for every obstacle we overcome, every success we achieve tends to bring man closer to God.”

Read the quotes above and then the biographies of Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller. Based on your integration and application of the chapter readings, module notes, professional experience, and external sources, compose a thoughtful response to the following discussion prompts:

• How do the lives and work of both Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller reflect the various roles that human services professionals fulfill in their work?
• Anne Sullivan faced tremendous obstacles, especially in her early work with Helen Keller. She never gave up. What do you believe motivated her to keep on going?