Serving and Receiving

What does it mean to be on the receiving end of someone's service or skills? I am reflecting on how I struggle with receiving something as opposed to giving, and how over the years I have tended to favor giving over receiving. This is especially true with one on one tutoring, where I often feel that there is  a kind of dynamic which involves one teacher serving a student..
      I think the situation is a complex one, but from the perspective of giving/receiving as espoused in the bodhisattva idea, it's interesting to reflect on the difference between giving and receiving. Master Sheng Yen, I believe, once compared the idea to money going from one hand to the next. It's never that one person is the absolute final recipient of another person's 'gift'. Rather, what one person receives from another is often invariably passed down to someone else, to the point where there is no absolute giver and receiver. An example might be that of a medical student. In the beginning of her semester, the student may know only the preliminary aspects of being a skilled physician. Later on, as the knowledge from an instructor is transferred to her and transformed into her own knowledge, the student can take that knowledge and give it to others. In that sense, the function of 'receiving' knowledge is to eventually give it back in some form or another. This example is straightforward, but what about situations where the recipient does not intend to teach or donate her or his knowledge to others? Again, I think one must understand that there is always a potential benefit that can be transferred when a person mindfully receives information from another. Sometimes the information is subtle. It's not the content that is so important as the manner of the teacher or the special way that a student can inform the teacher's way of  being.
        But I think that for the receiver, I wonder if 'receiving' might be seen as a practice of humility, similar to the way a beggar asks for alms. By giving someone else the opportunity to donate her time and skills, receiving can be a way of benefitting someone else, even though it may appear as though the giver doesn't have a direct benefit.
         In actuality, though, I think that at the end of the day, both parties benefit the most when they are mutually giving and receiving. This kind of exchange of knowledge is truly the most optimal condition, because it empowers two or more people to impart what they know in that experience, while enjoying the experiences of others. Mutual empowerment can be such a wonderful way to learn, and I get a sense that it's the best form of education for everyone to become teachers to others, rather than having only one person as the teacher. But most importantly, this kind of arrangement can allow people to see their interdependence when it comes to teaching and learning.