I spend most of my time here discussing the intersection of
food and family. But it is my career
that has kept me from writing much over this past year and now brings me back. In fact, I am coming back to write in both
blogs, one single entry that bridges each topic – food and education. Over the last four years I have had the
immense pleasure of working with a group of nine high school students as they
navigated high school – beginning to end, through AP classes, college apps,
prom, spirit contests, assemblies, team building activities, anti-drug
lectures, and even learning how to breath to relieve stress. I firmly believe that a formal education is
fundamentally a human endeavor based upon relationships and communication
between people. A deep, meaningful
education cannot be replicated online or standardized. Working with nine teens over four years’ time
validates this belief.
Furthermore, I firmly believe that relationships of all
kinds are best formed over food. Stop
and think about it… Have you ever lead a group of community volunteers? Offer food at meetings and people might show
up. Watch the conversation after church
over a donut. Think about your romantic
relationships – I will bet they all included quite a bit of time over
meals. Want to get strangers
talking? Feed them something delicious. Food brings people together and uncovers
layers to relationships that will go unnoticed until sharing food.
Over the last four years my group of students, my advisory
(they call themselves Janda’s Pandas) have met weekly and food was key. Truth be told, it was almost always junk
food, but food nonetheless. Without
food, they were lethargic and bored.
Throw a gummy bear at ‘em, and it was like throwing a match into a box
of dynamite. However, in their junior and senior years we
started making waffles in class. The
smell filled the building attracting the appetites of kids from other
advisories. Chocolate chips, whipped
cream, and fruit all made great toppings and the leftover chips became quick
snacks for them as they wandered by throughout the week. Eating these waffles almost did as much for
team building as the ropes course their sophomore year or the ocean kayaking
their junior year.
However, the culinary coup de grace for this group did not
come until the end. During their senior
class trip to Laguna Beach last week we all ate at Mozambique. Not knowing much about East African cuisine I
cannot say much for the authenticity of the experience (they had pasta dishes
and burgers?) but the authenticity of the meal was not at all the point. The point was camaraderie, family. We laughed about memories, we dreamt about
college and we shared our food. A couple
kids shared a gigantic plate of seafood, working up a sweat to finish it all
while the rest of us marveled. They all
left in a flash while I collected their desserts only to deliver them at the
start of their class kumbaya moment.
Just a couple nights later, back home in San Jose, they all wanted to do
it again after their Baccalaureate ceremony so we grabbed dinner in Santana Row. I am left wondering if they would have liked
to go out to eat every week.
We already know that food quality is a major selling point
for colleges today. Some schools are approaching
food differently (The Edible Schoolyard and Appleton, Wisconsin’s Central
Alternative Charter High School are great examples) and seeing real behavioral
and cognitive results. But our efforts
do not have to be so vast. Simply
sharing a meal with our students can make a difference in their level of
commitment and joy in the process.
“My kids” are now off to college – from coast to coast and
from north to south – they are off to discover independence, test boundaries, live
dreams, and seek wild success. They will
do phenomenal things, each in their own way.
But none of them will do it alone.
They will be supported by friends, professors, mentors and new advisors. Bonds with these new people will be formed, often
over food. I hope they will tell me
about it. I hope when they return we
will eat together again. I miss them
already.
Next year I start another four years with a new crop of
freshmen. We will eat together
sooner. We will build our bonds earlier…with
waffle batter.
