Sarah Fuller (February 15, 1836 – August 1, 1927) was an American
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
.
Biography
She was born in
Weston, Massachusetts
Weston is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, about 15 miles west of Boston. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, the population of Weston was 11,851.
Weston was incorporated in 1713, and protectio ...
to Harvey and Celynda (Fiske) Fuller, and was educated at
West Newton English and Classical School
West Newton English and Classical School, also known as the Allen School, was a model school in West Newton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1854 by Nathaniel Topliff Allen (1823–1903), an educator and protege of Horace Mann ...
in
. After graduating in 1855, she taught in Newton and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. In 1869, she trained at the Clarke School for the Deaf under Harriet B. Rogers, then became principal at the newly formed Boston School for Deaf-Mutes; a school founded on the behest of Rev. Dexter S. King. In 1871, the school staff was trained in the skill of teaching deaf children how to speak by
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Te ...
. Sarah became an advocate of this practice, as well as the promotion of education for deaf children starting at the earliest age possible. She was also present when the first message was sent over the telephone.
In 1890, Fuller applied the methods she learned and developed from Bell in giving the first speech lessons to
Helen Keller.
''Dumb no longer: romance of the telephone''"> ''Dumb no longer: romance of the telephone''
By Fred De Land
In 1888, she published ''An Illustrated Primer'' for teachers of the deaf. She helped found the ''American Association to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf'' in 1890, and became director of that association in 1896. She founded the Home for Little Deaf Children in 1902, and retired as a principal in 1910. Sarah died in Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts
Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The commercial area extends across the river into Wellesley, Massachusetts, where it is known as Wellesl ...
, and is buried in Saint Mary's Cemetery. She was a poetic writer.
Legacy
The Sarah Fuller Foundation for Little Deaf Children (1888–1972) was named after her.
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Sarah
1836 births
1927 deaths
People from Weston, Massachusetts
Educators of the deaf
19th-century American educators
20th-century American educators
19th-century American women educators
20th-century American women educators