The conference
Relationships: A Focus of Catholic Education for the New Century was offered by the Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership on June 27-28, 2003. The purposes of the conference were to:
- Bring Catholic educational scholars and practitioners together in meaningful conversation;
- Introduce Catholic school personnel to a new paradigm shift in Catholic schools that involves
moving beyond community buildingto establishing relationships;
- Publish a set of directional statements to assist the Catholic school community to better meet the needs of both teachers and students.
The premise of the conference was that the heart of the teaching ministry is relating, and that the future needs of the world demand that schools of the future teach children how to relate and how to nurture relationships. It is ICEL’s belief that unless our schools assume this responsibility, that there will be little hope for a better world.
Focus Questions Critical to the Future of Catholic Schools
- What kinds of schools do we wish to foster?
- How do we wish our schools to change?
- What kinds of persons should our schools produce?
- What do we believe about our students?
- How should we form our students for the future?
- What do we believe is our role as educators in the future Catholic school?
- What may we do to reclaim time to assess our vocation to Catholic education?
On Friday Evening, June 27, 2003 at 7:00 p.m., Margaret Wheatley, author of Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, delivered the keynote address which was followed by a book signng and reception.
On Saturday, June 28, 2003, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Catholic school scholars and practitioners were invited to gather to consider ways in which Margaret Wheatley's ideas might be implemented in Catholic schools.
Large and small group conversations covered the following areas:
Leadership
Law
Identity & Mission
Curriculum
Instructional Strategies
Child Development
Technology
Institutional Advancement
Parents
Inclusion
Athletics
Morning workshops, repeated in the afternoon, were delivered by the following Catholic educational scholars:
Br. Robert Bimonte, FSC, Executive Director, National Catholic Educational Association Department of Elementary Schools; “Creating a Relational Learning Environment”
Dr. Timothy Cook, Professor, Creighton University; “Catholic School Identity and Mission: Building a Culture of Relationships”
Sr. John Martin Fixa, O.P., School Development Consultant for the Dominicans of Mission San Jose; “Relationships: Creating Partnerships for the Advancement and Vitality of Our Catholic Schools — Our Hope for the Future”
Dr. Jeanne Hagelskamp, S.P., Assistant Director, Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership, University of San Francisco; “Technology: Connecting Individuals in a Web of Relationships”
Sr. Rose Marie Hennessey, O.P., Prioress General, Dominican Sisters, Mission San Jose; “Leadership and Spirituality—Are They in Relationship?”
Dr. Doreen F. Jones, Educational Consultant to Catholic Schools; “Healthy Relationships, Healthy Children”
Mrs. Colette Moore, Consultant, Inclusion Task Force, Diocese of Orange, California; "Inclusion in the Catholic School”
Dr. Mary Angela Shaughnessy, SCN, Vice President for Mission and Corporate General Counsel, Spaulding University; “The Law and Right Relationships: Reflection and Conversation”
Dr. Gini Shimabukuro, Associate Director, Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership, University of San Francisco; “Relationships: The Heart of Curriculum and Instruction”
Mr. Chris Smart, Athletic Director, Jesuit High School, Portland, Oregon; Athletics in a Catholic High School: Mission, Leadership and Moral Development”
