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"eyes, she wants her dolls to have eyes"

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"eyes, she wants her dolls to have eyes"

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You can see the different stages of a behavior from calm to recovery as Helen tries to tell her family she wants her doll to have eyes. You can see the trigger is no one is acknowledging her trying to communicate she wants the doll to have eyes. she begins to get agitated leading up to the peak (slapping mom) and recovery (crying in moms arms).

This particular seen is so emotional because you can feel the frustration in her as she tries to communicate and no one is hearing her out. - Natalie Mendoza

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it was interesting to see how the teacher is teaching Helen "bad girl" and "good girl". It is easy for the teacher to feel frustrated when Helen breaks the vase or spills the ink. But she uses the situation as an opportunity to teach Helen expressions and what it means to do something bad or good. It is important as educators to turn anything into a teachable moment no matter how frustrating the situation may be. -Natalie Mendoza

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I was touched by Helen’s mother’s struggles. She is the person who is closest to Helen (she is the only one who understands that Helen wants her doll to have eyes), she believes in her abilities and she advocates for her by getting a tutor for her. At the same time, she is holding Helen back by indulging her and keeping Helen dependent on her. Made me think of the module we read for this week. (Jennifer)

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I liked the moment where Anne says she needs a teacher as much as Helen does. She needs help, too. As teachers we also look for guidance but sometimes we are the only one there and then we have to rely on ourselves. It can be a daunting feeling and I felt Anne Bancroft captured that well in her performance. (Jennifer)

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The fact that the teacher is the only one who believes Helen can learn more than just obedience makes me think the early sixties must have been a turning point in the education of students with disabilities. (Jennifer)

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Helen and Annie living in a separate home for two weeks was a huge adjustment for Helen. Helen getting jealous of the little boy playing with Annie was the first sign of change in relationship between them. You can see a feeling of trust in Helen after getting her cake and milk from Annie.

-Natalie Mendoza

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It is so sad how the dad just wanted Helen to obey but it is so inspiring that the teacher never gave up advocating for her education. -Natalie Mendoza

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Helen's real handicap was the love and pity her family had on her... not her deafness and blindness; treating Helen like a house pet until the miracle worker aka teacher Annie taught her how to communicate, spell and know things with her fingers and facial expressions/touching of the face with hands.

-Dav

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In the opening scene you can see the nonverbal body language of Katie when Helen is dealing with a fever; she was in great despair. Then when she and Arthur realized that their baby daughter was blind, they both were in utter shock and did not know what to do; a lot of yelling and hollering.

-Dav

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I thought the authenticity of the film in terms of behavior was great and acceptable. I am a firm believer in tough love and in my opinion it is the strongest form of love on earth. Annie did what she had to do in order for Helen to reach the maximum potential of her abilities. Also, the fact that Annie's vision is also impaired while she was teaching Helen makes it even more powerful and resilient.

-Dav

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The social commentary was amazing. Very touching moments, but there was still some sarcasm and a little humor within the characters speaking with each other. I am also glad that Helen's half brother, James (the other Jimmy to Annie/remembrance of her brother Jimmy) came along and at the end stoop up to Arthur and defending Annie in regards with her teaching methods to Helen.

-Dav

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Jealousy, it’s such a universal human emotion. Helen got jealous when she realized Annie was teaching/playing with Percy. In terms of behavior, she acted in a way that is typical for someone her age experiencing this emotion. Helen pushed Percy aside and wanted Annie to teach/play with her. -Ekta

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I'm not sure if it was how the director intended but the beginning of the film almost plays like a horror movie with dark lighting, shadows, moody music, camera angles and shocking moments! It gave me "Rosemary's Baby" vibes! (Jay)

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It's a heartbreaking story about a family with a child they deeply love, who is both deaf and blind. As she grows, they struggle to understand how to support her and what the best course of action is. Then, an extraordinary teacher named Anne enters their daughter Helen's life. Anne, who has faced similar challenges to Helen’s, understands the importance of tough love and independence. Through sheer perseverance and her unwavering belief in Helen, despite numerous setbacks, Anne finally finds a breakthrough that allows her to connect and teach Helen. -Ekta

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The time period in which the movie is set offers a glimpse into the social hierarchy that existed between black and white people at the time. Black individuals are shown as working but treated as invisible. It appears that the entire black family lived on the estate, with each member assigned roles based on their age and gender. Even the children were expected to work/contribute whenever needed.-Ekta

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Helen's parents display evolving feelings regarding their child's disability. Her father initially seems to feel shame and the desire to distance himself from behaviors that he does not know how to handle, suggesting Helen might need to be institutionalized. This was not for her own good necessarily, rather because her care was a burdening experience for him and other family members. Her mother on the other hand is shown trying to prevent full escalation when it came to Helen's acting out cycle by giving her what she wanted in the moment. Mom is clearly shown wanting her child to feel peace and comfort, trying to intuitively understand what her daughter is trying to communicate. I felt like she also showed fear in not being directly involved in her daughter's learning process, but it was beautiful seeing her apply language that Helen understood at the end of the movie. - Vittoria

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I thought the young actress who played Helen Keller was fantastic however I did feel like this some of this could be a Hollywood-style portrayal and may not be a totally accurate representation of her actual behaviors and interactions with Anne. Their struggles and physical interactions often last a long time but were totally fascinating to watch. (Jay)

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This movie obviously featured a lot of different styles of communication. I enjoyed watching Helen get the help she so desperately needed. They were sometimes hard to watch, and lasted for quite a while, but the physical nature of the scenes between Helen & Anne showed progress was being made...despite how destroyed the house may be. (Jay)

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This felt relevant when I thought about the fact that the Annie had greater insight into Helen's experience than her parents did. This definitely influenced how she understood Helen and how she set expectations for her. - Vittoria

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I thought the language used in the movie to refer to Helen and Annie's disabilities was interesting. For example Helen's brother makes a comment along the lines of "great now we have two of them to look after" when he first sees Annie. He seems to be focusing on the implications of Helen and Annie's disability on his own daily living, rather than thinking of the realities Helen and Annie have experienced first. - Vittoria

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When we think of dialogue, we usually focus on words. However, in this movie, there are numerous impactful non-verbal or minimal verbal exchanges that express emotions in a way that words alone might not capture or resonate with the audience. At the beginning of the movie, Katie’s cries alone are enough to convey her grief and despair. The film’s ending is incredibly powerful and uplifting, despite the one-sided/minimal exchange of words.- Ekta

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The progress made in Helen's learning, while definitely guided by management systems no longer considered acceptable, shows the patience and long-sightedness a teacher uses when mapping a student's potential growth. Throughout the movie, Helen's family is skeptical because they do not see immediate results. They do not see how learning would be based on imitation first then understanding for a seeing/hearing child too. - Vittoria

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This is a very touching and well-written film. I tried to empathize with each of the characters and their journeys as Helen, parents, siblings, Anne, etc. I loved how it uses the idea of real help for an individual versus throwing them into an asylum and never get the care and support they need. Anne is the definition of true dedication! (Jay)

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I think Annie and Helen were well matched because they both had such strong personalities. A different child might have completely withdrawn or had some other reaction to Annie's approach. It is important for us as teachers to adapt to our student's learning style.

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I thought that the girl that played Hellen did a great job. The actors did a great job of playing their roles too. The parents showed a lot of care for Hellen and didn't want to be hard on her just because she was “different”. From my personal experience in SPED I have encountered a lot of parents who do this and they end up enabling their kids to do whatever they want. I thought the film and actors did a great job of showing why you shouldn’t completely baby students with disabilities. You need provide them the tools needed for them to live a good life.

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The emotions that Hellens actor was showing really great. The dialogue between her teacher and her was very interesting because they at first couldn’t fully communicate. By the end of the film Hellen completely made a 180 and was able to communicate effectively. It was awesome to see.