After her illness, Helen had become a difficult child. She struggled to express herself but could not and this led to frustration and emotional breakdown.   

Helen used to be a person who engaged in tireless activity and could not be still for a moment. But on the train journey to Boston, she sat quietly beside Miss Sullivan,taking in with an eager interest all the she told her about what she saw out of the car window. Miss Sullivan had taken Helen by the hand across the fields where men were preparing the earth for the seed, to the banks of the Tennessee River. Sitting on the warm grass, she began the first lessons for Helen in the beneficence of nature. Helen learned how the sun and rain make the ground give life to trees that are not only pleasant to the sight but also good for food, how birds build their nest and thrive from land to land. Also, how every creature finds food and shelter. As Helen's knowledge of these things grew, she felt more and more the delight of the world she lived in. Long before she learned to do a sum in arithmetic or describe the shape of the earth, Miss Sullivan had taught her to find the beauty in the fragrant woods, in every blade of grass and in the curves and dimples of her baby sister's hand. She linked her earliest thoughts with nature and made her attuned to the beauty that abounds in the world. Her teaching methods were not par for the course but they believed in the natural capabilities of nature to educate the sportive Helen as the girl herself was so eager to learn from anything around her. Miss Sullivan understood the true capabilities of her student and designed her teaching methods accordingly.