Beth Smith, M. Ed. | #smithingifted

One of the biggest influences on the way I think about teaching didn’t actually come from an education textbook.

It came from John Maxwell.

Years ago, I became fascinated by the way Maxwell collects ideas. In his article “File under F for Filing,” he explains that for decades he has saved quotes, articles, stories, illustrations, and ideas that might someday become useful. He didn’t wait until he needed to write a lesson, book, article, or speech to start looking for inspiration. He was collecting all along.

That idea stuck with me.

And somewhere along the way, I realized:

That is exactly how I want to approach teaching.

I never want to reach the point where I say,

“Well, I already have a lesson for that.”

I want to say,

“I have a lesson for that… but how can I make it better?”

My Lessons Are Never Really Finished

I have lessons I have taught for years.

But if you looked at the original version and compared it to what I teach today, you might barely recognize it.

That’s intentional.

I am constantly adding things.

A new technology tool.

A better questioning strategy.

A STEM challenge.

A student reflection.

A stronger hook.

A more authentic problem.

A new piece of evidence.

A different way for students to demonstrate learning.

A connection to something happening in the real world.

Sometimes I completely tear a lesson apart and rebuild it.

Not because the original lesson was bad.

Because I learned something new.

And once I know better, I want to teach better.

John Maxwell Taught Me to Collect Ideas

Maxwell describes creating a personal filing system based on the things he encounters while reading and learning. Instead of deciding ahead of time what topics he should collect, he lets the material he discovers determine the categories he creates. Over decades, that system grew into thousands of index cards and hundreds of article files that he could return to whenever he needed to develop something new.

My system looks a little different.

Mine might include:

• screenshots on my phone
• saved social media posts
• articles
• books
• Pinterest ideas
• Teachers Pay Teachers resources
• conference notes
• Google Drive folders
• Canva designs
• websites
• podcasts
• conversations with other teachers
• ideas I get while teaching
• things students say
• lessons that completely flop 😂
• lessons that unexpectedly become amazing
• and things I notice when I travel

I collect ideas everywhere.

Sometimes I see something that has absolutely nothing to do with gifted education and immediately think:

“I could turn that into a lesson.”

That is one of my favorite parts of teaching.

The world becomes your curriculum library.

Traveling Is One of My Favorite Ways to Learn

Some of my best ideas come when I am traveling.

I find myself constantly observing how places communicate who they are, what they value, and what they want people to feel.

I look at Disney and notice how intentionally they tell a story in every detail.

I look at resorts and notice how they create an experience from the moment you walk in.

I look at shopping malls, stores, restaurants, museums, airports, and attractions and pay attention to how they organize spaces, guide people, present information, build excitement, and communicate their brand.

I notice the signs.

The colors.

The wayfinding.

The displays.

The music.

The lighting.

The words they choose.

The way people move through a space.

The way a business can communicate its ideas and beliefs without ever giving you a long explanation.

And I find myself thinking:

What could I learn from this for my classroom?

Disney doesn’t just put rides in a park.

They create an experience.

A great resort doesn’t simply provide a room.

It creates a feeling.

A well-designed store doesn’t just put products on shelves.

It tells customers where to look, what matters, and what they should experience next.

That has influenced the way I think about teaching more than I probably realized at first.

What If We Designed Classrooms the Way Great Businesses Design Experiences?

Businesses spend enormous amounts of time thinking about how people experience their brand.

Teachers can think about learning in the same way.

When students walk into my classroom, what do they notice?

What does the room communicate?

Does it say:

Sit down. Be quiet. Complete the assignment.

Or does it say:

Explore. Build. Question. Create. Think.

When I introduce a lesson, am I simply explaining what students need to do?

Or am I creating enough curiosity that they want to know what happens next?

When students finish one part of an activity, is it clear where they should go next?

Do they see connections between different projects?

Does the classroom environment reflect the things I say I value—creativity, innovation, collaboration, problem solving, independence, and curiosity?

Those are questions I think about all the time.

I want the things students experience in my classroom to match the beliefs I have about learning.

I Don’t Collect Ideas to Copy Them

This is important.

Collecting ideas isn’t about copying someone else’s lesson—or copying what Disney, a resort, or a business does.

It is about learning from other people’s thinking.

I might see an exhibit while traveling and think about how I could turn a classroom wall into an evidence board.

I might notice how a resort guides guests through different experiences and think about how students could move independently through learning stations.

I might see how Disney reveals information gradually and realize that a historical investigation would be much more exciting if students received evidence piece by piece.

I might notice how a business uses storytelling and think about how I could build a stronger narrative around a STEM challenge.

Then I take that idea and make it work for my students.

I might add technology.

Then add Depth and Complexity.

Then turn it into a problem students have to solve.

Then add collaboration.

Then add a prototype.

Then add reflection.

And suddenly the original idea has evolved into something completely different.

That process is where creativity lives.

Teachers don’t have to invent every idea from nothing.

We can observe.

Learn.

Collect.

Combine.

Modify.

Experiment.

And improve.

The Best Professional Development Doesn’t Always Come From Professional Development

I love professional learning, but some of the best ideas I have ever brought into my classroom didn’t come from a traditional teacher training.

They came from leadership books.

Business books.

Technology.

Engineering.

Entrepreneurship.

Museums.

Travel.

Disney.

Resorts.

Shopping centers.

Podcasts.

Conversations.

News stories.

Other teachers.

And sometimes my students.

That is another lesson I learned from Maxwell’s approach.

If you are constantly learning, almost anything can become useful later.

You may see something today that has absolutely nothing to do with the lesson you are currently teaching.

Save the idea anyway.

Take a picture.

Write yourself a note.

Send yourself a link.

Put it in a folder.

Someday it may become the missing piece of an incredible learning experience.

Teaching Should Evolve Because Kids Are Evolving

The students sitting in our classrooms today are not growing up in the same world we did.

Artificial intelligence.

Robotics.

Coding.

Global communication.

Instant access to information.

Rapidly changing careers.

These are part of their world.

Our classrooms can’t stay frozen in time.

That doesn’t mean throwing away everything that has worked in the past.

It means asking:

What still works?

What needs to change?

What could make this more meaningful?

What could make students think harder?

What could make them more curious?

What could give them more ownership?

And perhaps the biggest question:

What could I add that would make this lesson unforgettable?

Sometimes Improving a Lesson Means Admitting It Didn’t Work

This part isn’t always fun.

Sometimes I finish a lesson and think:

Well…that was not what I imagined.

😂

Every teacher has been there.

The directions weren’t clear.

The technology didn’t cooperate.

Students didn’t make the connection you expected.

The activity took twice as long as planned.

Or something you thought students would LOVE was met with complete indifference.

Those moments are valuable.

Instead of saying,

“That lesson doesn’t work,”

I try to ask,

“What didn’t work about it?”

Maybe the idea was good but the structure wasn’t.

Maybe students needed more background knowledge.

Maybe the challenge needed stronger constraints.

Maybe the questions needed to be deeper.

Maybe I talked too much.

Maybe students needed more time to explore before I explained.

Every imperfect lesson gives us data.

The key is using it.

Good Teachers Have Lessons. Growing Teachers Have Versions.

This may be one of my strongest beliefs about teaching.

I don’t want a folder labeled:

FINAL LESSON.

Because I don’t think there is such a thing.

There is simply:

Version 1.

Version 2.

Version 7.

Version 14.

And someday Version 25.

Because every group of students teaches me something.

Every year I learn something.

Every new tool gives me possibilities.

Every trip gives me ideas.

Every business I observe teaches me something about communication, design, or experience.

Every conversation gives me another perspective.

Every mistake gives me information.

And every great idea leads to another question.

What if we tried…?

That question has transformed more lessons in my classroom than almost anything else.

Build Your Own Teacher Filing System

Maxwell’s filing system worked because it became personal to the way he thought and worked. He encouraged people to allow their own collection to grow naturally around the material they find useful.

Teachers can do the same thing.

Create folders for ideas you naturally keep finding.

Maybe yours become:

STEM Challenges

Critical Thinking

Gifted Education

Student Choice

AI in Education

Robotics

Great Questions

Project-Based Learning

Hooks

Reflection

Travel Ideas

Business & Experience Design

Creativity

Things I Want to Try

That last folder might be the most important one.

Mine could probably be enormous. 😂

Never Stop Being a Student

I think the teachers who stay excited about teaching are often the ones who remain learners themselves.

They read.

They travel.

They observe.

They experiment.

They ask questions.

They attend conferences.

They watch what other educators are doing.

They study what successful organizations are doing.

They try new technology.

They listen to students.

They take risks.

And occasionally they try something that fails spectacularly.

Then they learn from it and try again.

Because the goal isn’t perfection.

The goal is growth.

John Maxwell’s filing system was ultimately about more than organizing information. It was about developing the habit of collecting ideas so they could become building blocks for future work.

That philosophy has become part of the way I teach.

I collect.

I observe.

I travel.

I learn.

I experiment.

I revise.

I build.

And then I do it all over again.

Because I never want to become the teacher who says,

“I’ve taught this lesson for 20 years.”

I want to be the teacher who can say,

“I’ve taught this lesson for 20 years—and I’ve made it better every single one of them.”

That is the kind of teacher I want to continue becoming.

And maybe that is one of the most important lessons we can model for our students:

You are never finished growing.

Keep learning.

Keep observing.

Keep collecting ideas.

Look outside education.

Pay attention when you travel.

Study how great organizations tell their stories.

Keep asking questions.

Keep changing things.

Keep improving.

And when you think something is already pretty good?

Ask one more question:

How could I make it even better?

Think Bigger. Create Together. Change the World.

#smithingifted