Serendipity

I can’t think of a more apt name for a blog site with my name next to it. Serendipity is something that happens to us all at one point or another – but it also describes an important piece of my educational philosophy:

Life is a continuous journey of self-discovery; along the way, things happen, sometimes without design, that provides opportunities for us to learn and grow.

These moments of serendipity are sometimes trivial, sometimes life-changing, and sometimes not even noticed. I intended to name this blog in the singular, but I think it makes perfect sense to use the plural, given that moments of accidental learning seem to be a feature of my life and work.

I first heard the word serendipity as a 7-year-old. My mother wanted to use it to name a new preschool nursery she was opening (she has long championed the virtues of play and discovery learning), but in the end, she (regrettably) decided against it. I hope it wasn’t entirely my fault for not grasping the concept at the time…but for whatever reason, it was not until a few days ago (35 years later) that I serendipitously stumbled across the word again…whilst trying to think of a name for this blog…

I hope you enjoy my ramblings…

January 2021