Docents and sensibility

If the patrons at the Museum of Fine Arts seem extra helpful this Thursday through Saturday, that's because they've been trained. The MFA will be hosting 550 museum docents from around the U.S. and Canada attending the 13th biennial National Docent Symposium. Ironically, the event's theme might be just a hair on the inaccurate side in invoking our history. "Boston Tea Party - Brewing Invention 2005" overlooks the fact that no one actually brewed anything at the original event. But "Throwing Invention Overboard 2005" doesn't sound like much of a convention. And the docents will be talking about stuff like programs for youth at risk, ESL patrons and what to say when the art on the wall is controversial. There will also be docent-led tours of the MFA and other Boston museums and a cocktail party or two.