There are moments in a classroom that every teacher waits for, so alive they feel magical. Like when a student who has been quiet all year suddenly raises a hand to share a poem, or when the student who “hates writing” asks to read their story out loud.
This is the power of literary arts: they give students a way to uncover parts of themselves they hadn’t realized were there. With COMPAS Teaching Artists guiding the experience, poetry and other forms of creative writing become a portal for that kind of discovery, helping students see themselves more fully.
Peace Poetry With Marie Olofsdotter
When Marie Olofsdotter talks about her work as a COMPAS Teaching Artist, she doesn’t point to a single dramatic breakthrough. Instead, she talks about something quieter, and more telling: the moment students decide to share.
“Sharing only happens when there’s trust,” she says.
In her Peace Poetry residency with 4th graders, that trust is built gradually, over several classroom visits. Students are introduced to poems by writers from many cultures and traditions. Through shared readings and guided discussion, students begin to see that poetry isn’t one thing, and it doesn’t belong to just one kind of person. It can sound many ways. It can come from many lives. And it can come from them.
Marie pairs that exposure with a highly structured writing process. The structure matters. For students who feel unsure, it offers a clear path forward. For more confident writers, it creates room to explore. As Marie puts it, “In the same classroom, you can have an insecure writer gaining confidence and a gifted writer flying. Both are supported. Both grow.”
Over time, students reflect, brainstorm, and write. And then comes the moment Marie looks for.
When students choose to share, the room changes. Marie is deliberate about how that space is held. No laughing. No interruptions. The goal is simple: make it safe enough to take a risk.
When that happens, students often surprise themselves.
Marie recalls an insecure writer whose poem was selected for a published anthology. He was so excited about his accomplishment, he bought the book, signed it, and gave it to his teacher. The next year, another student did the same. “They have claimed their voice” Marie says. “They’re proud. And that pride is real.”
Teachers notice it too. Marie often hears them say they didn’t know a particular student had that in them. Poetry reveals strengths, perspectives, and ways of thinking that don’t always surface in other assignments.
For Marie, that’s the point.
“Poetry comes from the core of your person,” she explains. “Your authentic self. And that is where your power lies.”
That belief shapes everything about Peace Poetry. Poetry isn’t treated as something distant or decorative. It’s treated as something alive. Something students can claim and own.
“It’s not something that sits on a shelf and belongs to other people,” Marie says. “It belongs to them.”
When students complete a COMPAS literary arts poetry residency, they leave with more than their finished poems. They leave with the experience of being listened to, taken seriously, and trusted with their own ideas. In a time when young people are often asked to move quickly and quietly through their days, that experience can be transformative.
Bring COMPAS Literary Arts to Your Classroom
COMPAS Teaching Artists partner with educators to offer meaningful, manageable residencies that support classroom goals while opening creative possibilities for students.
If you’re interested in bringing literary arts to your classroom or school community, COMPAS is here to help. Reach out to learn more about Peace Poetry and other COMPAS literary arts workshops and residencies, including Spoken Word and hip hop-inspired poetry, fiction & nonfiction storytelling (including journal and memoir), songwriting, and more.
Learn more about COMPAS, our roster of teaching artists, and how we can bring creativity to your environment here.
Read more stories about our work to put creativity in the hands of millions of Minnesotans here.
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