an anticipation guide.

as an educator you learn all kinds of handy tools for aiding students in the learning process. after all, that's the goal to gain the most from every experience and all the content you are trying to desperately teach. one such tool is called an "anticipation guide." basically, it's a little pre-activity assessment where one asks basic questions prior to engaging in the the actual activity (i.e.- reading Macbeth... which is what my students are about to embark upon).
i think anticipation guides could be used in life too, you know? and in essence, i think i create my own anticipation guides in my head if i get a chance. we all do. there are certain expectations, plans, and questions we ask ourselves before any experiences occur. this is part of how we learn. oftentimes our preconceived notions and theories are wrong. but that is some of the most valuable lessons we can glean from any one experience. it might be the hardest, but it can be the best. our plans can get shot, but sometimes we can plan just right {bingo! that's nice}. so, i have a mental anticipation guide in my head of this weekend in austin. some of these notions are far-fetched and others are more reasonable. i would like to share the more reasonable ones with you now {safety first}: stubb's bbq, a successful meeting with educators in austin, live music, a trip to the original whole foods, a few historical landmarks {the capitol building, for one}, a flea/farmer's market, a good conversation with a stranger, a vintage find, a trip to amy's ice cream, a new book or a new record, and maybe a few unexpected things here and there... 

these little lovelies will be playing in austin tonight. anticipation. 

p.s.- this post is in honor of marycatherinedavis and oliviablackmon. 

where there is love, 

there is art {even if you do/don't expect it}.