A free lunch pays for itself. The value of relationships in education

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education,  Winter 2000  by Smith, Robert E

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A Free Lunch Pays for Itself. The Value of Relationships in Education1

Several years ago in Omaha, Nebraska, I was attending a meeting of our men's group at church. We would hold these business meetings twice each year, usually on a Saturday, and perhaps 15-20 out of the approximately 120 of us would show up. At this particular meeting, the individuals in charge, decided in advance to announce that we would have lunch at the meeting. There were about 65-70 men in attendance. I leaned over to a friend of mine and whispered, "A free lunch pays for itself," indicating to him that I recognized that by providing lunch we quadrupled our attendance. A couple of years later when our family was about to relocate to Saint Louis, this friend gave me a small brass plaque inscribed with the words, "A free lunch pays for itself', with my name written in small text underneath the quote. This gift now adorns one comer of my desk, reminding me of the only quote I can call my own. Someone will undoubtedly tell me they heard this statement somewhere else and I have never given Tom Zlatic, a colleague at the Saint Louis College of Pharmacy, a quote where he has not traced its origin back at least two centuries. But, honestly, I came up with this independent of others. It is these six words that I would like to use as a theme for this address, for I believe one interpretation of the quote applies to us as teachers. A free lunch refers to any activity that strengthens a relationship between two individuals. It is through our gift of this metaphorical free lunch into the life of each student that enables us to truly influence and enhance learning.

Last year in my President-elect's address, I spoke about "Unleashing the Greatness" in our students through our teaching(l). I spoke about teaching being more than just the presentation of pharmaceutical content and that the general education abilities were equal in importance. I focused my emphasis on the incorporation of the general education abilities into the pharmacy curriculum and on the development of leadership attributes in our students. I addressed the process of liberalizing the professional education through the incorporation of pedagogical approaches frequently used in liberal arts colleges. We referred to the AAC&U report titled, Integrity in the College Curriculum, and delved in depth into inquiry, abstract logical thinking, critical analysis; literacy including writing, reading speaking and listening; understanding numerical data; historical consciousness; science; values, citizenship; leadership and ethics; art and aesthetic sensitivity; international and multicultural experiences and study in depth(2),

I referred to Parker Palmer's book The Courage to Teach and Dr. Parker's belief that we teach who we are(3). I referenced the wisdom of Charles Handy and his belief that the discovery of oneself is more important than the discovery of the world and that knowing "what" is not as important as knowing "where", "how", and "why"(4). I quoted Mitch Albom from his personal reflection, titled Tuesdays with Morrie, where he recounts his relationship with his teacher, Maurice Schwartz(5). The last two paragraphs from his marvelous little book are inspiring. Because they should ignite the fire of desired emulation within each of us, they are worth repeating. Quoting again.

"Have you ever had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw and precious thing, a jewel, that with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way to such teachers, you will always find your way back. Sometimes it is only in your head. Sometimes it is along side their beds.

The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week, in his home, by a window in his study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink flowers. The class met on Tuesdays. No books were required. The subject was the meaning of life. It was taught from experience. The teaching goes on."

Shortly after the Boston Meeting, I received a copy of a speech delivered by a faculty member at the University of Chicago. For this annual presentation, given by a selected faculty member to the entering freshman at the University of Chicago, the theme is always the importance of receiving a liberal education. The presenter began by relating a story from a recent graduate. The graduate had gone to Washington, DC in search of a clerk position with a Justice of the Supreme Court. During the interview with her future mentor, she was asked to describe the most important thing she learned in her undergraduate education. She paused and then stated she had not learned a lot of specific things, but she thought her most important learning received at the University of Chicago was the ability to think. She got the job. A few years back at Harvard University, all undergraduates were asked the one skill they wished, at that time in their lives, they had mastered to a better degree. The overwhelming number one response was the ability to write. Certainly our students are no different from those at Harvard and with only two required years of previous education, most of which is science based, our students present to us with similar deficiencies. Certainly the integration of the general education abilities into the professional curriculum using a liberal arts approach to teaching might go a long way to alleviate some of our students deficiencies.