Catholic educators, at annual gathering, face challenges, look ahead

Published: 2004-04-19

BOSTON (CNS) -- The old adage of "you never stop learning" certainly held true for the 17,000 Catholic educators who attended the National Catholic Educational Association's 101st annual convention in Boston April 13-16. The participants -- Catholic school teachers and principals, religious education directors and teachers and diocesan officials -- spent four days learning about how to teach better and how education involves far more than helping students master the basic subjects or tenets of the faith. Based on the workshops offered at the convention, Catholic educators today are charged with helping students navigate a complex world of violence, school bullies, sexual messages and fast-paced technology, all while operating on a small budget with limited resources and sometimes facing the possibility of closing or merging with other schools. These factors combined with the convention's Boston location, the center of the clergy sexual abuse scandal two years ago, provided plenty of material for the educators to discuss.

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