Dorothea Dix was born on April 4, 1802 in Maine. She grew up to become an educator and reformer for those with mental illness'. She revolutionized the treatment, view and status of the mentally ill all around the world (Stoddard 136). As a child she had nursed her parents and siblings. This had been the start of her drive to help others. When she turned twelve years old she left her home and moved in with her grandmother in Boston. At age fourteen she opened a 'dame school'. Here she taught kids, reading writing, arithmetic, and hearing (Stoddard 137). She also wrote Conversations on Common Things. This book also later became a textbook. Dix started a school called "The Hope" for the poor children of the town. Within five years she had written eight books (Stoddard 138).