As you walk through the gate and look off to the right, you see the guest house or cottage.  Helen Keller was actually born in this house, and lived in this house until Anne Sullivan came to be her teacher. For awhile thereafter, it served as Anne's house and Helen and Anne's schoolhouse. 

According to the guides at Ivy Green, Helen didn't know that her school house was her very own cottage.  Until Anne arrived, Helen was unruly, even violent, and it took Anne months to get her to settle down.  When it came time to start Helen's "education," the Kellers and Anne believed that if Helen knew she was going to school in her own little cottage, she would just run out and run back over to the main house.  So, before they took her to the cottage, they would take her on a carriage ride, and end up back where they started. But Helen didn't know she was home, so she wouldn't be tempted to run back to the main house.  Every afternoon, the process was repeated. So, for probably several weeks, or maybe even months, Helen took two carriage rides per school day from her house, back to her house.