Anne Sullivan: From a Poorhouse, Nearly Blind… to Helen Keller's Teacher
At nine, Anne Sullivan was sent to a poorhouse, nearly blind. She begged to go to school, graduated at the top of her class, and opened Helen Keller's world. Learn five B1 words and how to use the past perfect with by the time with the true story of Anne Sullivan.
Coming 21 December 2026, 3:00 pm New York time
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
A nearly blind girl in a ran up to an important visitor.
She said, "I want to go to school!"
This is the story of Anne Sullivan.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. In the past, a was a place where very poor people lived, paid for by the government.
At 9, she and her brother were sent to a .
. To is to ask for something very much, with deep feeling.
She him to let her go to school.
. An is when doctors cut into the body to fix something.
helped her to see better.
. To is to finish your studies at a school or university.
In 1886, she at the top of her class.
. is the ability to wait and keep trying without getting angry.
With great , she spelled words into Helen's hand.
Now, one pattern: by the time, plus the past perfect.
By the time she met Helen, she had learned a lot.
It means: first she learned a lot, then she met Helen.
Ready? Let's begin.
Anne Sullivan was born in Massachusetts, in the USA, in 1866, to a poor Irish family.
At about 5, an eye disease badly damaged her sight.
Her mother died, and her father left the family.
At 9, she and her brother were sent to a .
It was crowded, and many people there were old or sick.
A few months later, her little brother Jimmie died.
She could not read or write, but she wanted to learn more than anything.
Would she ever go to school?
In 1880, an important man, Frank Sanborn, came to visit the .
Anne ran to him and cried, "Mr Sanborn, I want to go to school!"
She him to let her go to school.
It worked. At 14, she went to the Perkins School for the Blind, in Boston.
Richer girls laughed at her because she knew so little.
She had a quick temper, but she studied hard.
helped her to see better.
She learned to read, and she learned the finger alphabet, which lets people who cannot see or hear feel words in their hand.
In 1886, she at the top of her class, and she gave the main speech.
She told her classmates to go out into life cheerfully and hopefully.
In 1887, she went to Alabama to teach a girl of six who could not see or hear: Helen Keller.
By the time she met Helen, she had learned a lot, from books and from her own hard life.
Helen was angry and out of control.
With great , she spelled words into Helen's hand.
One day in April, at a water pump, Helen understood that everything has a name.
That night, Helen kissed her for the first time.
Anne wrote, "I thought my heart would burst."
She stayed with Helen for almost 50 years.
At college, she spelled every lecture into Helen's hand.
The writer Mark Twain called her a "miracle worker".
She died in 1936.
Let's review. At 9, she and her brother were sent to a .
She him to let her go to school.
helped her to see better.
In 1886, she at the top of her class.
With great , she spelled words into Helen's hand.
And remember: by the time she met Helen, she had learned a lot.
Anne Sullivan's story teaches us: a great teacher can open a whole world.
Want more interesting lessons?
Go to brightlivesenglish.com.
Please subscribe and learn with us.
Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
poorhouse noun
in the past, a place where very poor people lived, paid for by the government
“At 9, she and her brother were sent to a poorhouse.”
beg verb
to ask for something very much, with deep feeling
“She begged him to let her go to school.”
operation noun
when doctors cut into the body to fix something
“Operations helped her to see better.”
graduate verb
to finish your studies at a school or university
“In 1886, she graduated at the top of her class.”
patience noun
the ability to wait and keep trying without getting angry
“With great patience, she spelled words into Helen's hand.”
finger spelling noun
spelling words with hand shapes, one letter at a time
“She taught Helen with finger spelling.”
valedictorian noun
the best student, who gives the speech at the end of school
“She was the valedictorian of her class.”
eyesight noun
the ability to see
“An eye disease damaged her eyesight.”
Grammar in the story
By the time + past simple, past perfect (had + past participle)
We use it for: to show that one past action happened before another
- By the time she met Helen, she had learned a lot.
- By the time she was fourteen, she had lived in a poorhouse for four years.
From the story
- By the time she met Helen, she had learned a lot.
- By the time we arrived, the film had started.
Find it in the story 4 times
Your turn
By the time she met Helen, she a lot.
By the time we , the film had started.
By the time she graduated, she two operations.
Step 4
Story Challenge
7 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
Well done!
Look at these again
This week's top 10
Resets every MondayNo scores yet this week. Be the first!
Lesson complete!
- 0/4steps
- 0/8words learned
- 0/3stars
Up next
Loading your next story…
Take it further
Before you watch: Who was your best teacher? Why?
After you watch: Write three sentences with by the time and the past perfect. For example: By the time I got home, my family had eaten dinner. By the time I was ten, I had learned to swim. By the time the bus came, it had started to rain.
Think about it: Anne had a very hard childhood. How did it help her to understand Helen?
