There are a great many things to be said about The Sound of Music and a great many things have been said about this family favorite. While it is based on a true story, there are plenty of details left out of the film. I am not here to harp on those that paint the film in a more negative light. I am here to point out one of the elements I rarely see mentioned:
Maria is a teacher. She may be a reluctant teacher, a governess forced into service, but she is a teacher nonetheless.
And the students with whom she contends? That Von Trapp brood are truly terrors.
She wins them over. She wins the captain over. She wins us all over.
Bravo, Maria Rainer (and Julie Andrews!). Bravo.
We never know the influence we have… While culture tends to promulgate the “those who can, do, those who cannot, teach” idiocy, there are hundreds of examples of brilliance and impactful teachers in reality and in pop culture. Every-other-week this year, I will share my brief reflections on Smart People Doing Smart Things be they in literature, in film, in music or in real life. Many will be teachers, but not all. Many will be fictional, but some will be real. All will be inspiring. Welcome to IntelliPop!
