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This past Saturday morning, the Western Massachusetts Writing Project hosted the 2021 Best Practices in the Teaching of Writing conference. Participants were brought together to consider the interconnected landscape of writing, education, and social justice. The theme of Best Practices this year was "Recentering Teaching and Learning," which focused on the utmost importance of decolonizing our schools' curricula and actively applying anti-racist pedagogy to our classrooms in order to make learning both sensitive and meaningful to the needs of all students (particularly the ones who've been historically afforded the least visibility). As we return to in-person schooling post-pandemic, we must keep the accessibility of a quality education in relation to the disparities caused by gender, race, ethnicity, and class discrimination at the forefront of our minds. 

After a wonderful welcome and introduction from our site director, Anna Rita Napoleone, conference attendees participated in a Writing into the Day prompt. The 2021 Pat Hunter Award for Outstanding Teacher Leadership was awarded to Momodou Sarr, the Co-Director of Language, Culture, and Diversity at WMWP. Those who completed their coursework for the Certificate in the Teaching of Writing program were recognized for their hard work in a ceremony. Many congratulations to Megan Whalen, Nicole Godard, Jeanine Keyes-Plante, Kevin McKenna, Michelle Bartman, Nikki Carrero, Anthony Marando, and Katie Schofield! Our 2021 keynote speaker, Darnell Thigpen Williams, delivered a powerful speech after the awards and certificates; in it, Darnell addressed how systemic racism damages the chances BIPOC have at receiving an education that recognizes their identity and struggles in a complete way, as well as the importance of having diverse educators. At 10:15, attendees split off into breakout rooms for workshops and paired presentations, then reconvened later for a Writing Out of the Day prompt.

To everyone who came to Best Practices on Saturday, thank you for attending! We hope you continue to think about how intersectionality and accessibility profoundly affect how we approach "Recentering Teaching and Learning."