The Power of Windows and Mirrors with Ann McGee founder of Open Windows Books Artwork

Ed Soul

Being an educator is not like other jobs. You put your whole self into it – it’s soul work. Each episode, we bring you insights, techniques, and strategies rooted in research that you can put into practice in your K-12 classroom right away. Host Rachel Logan (in education for 16 years and counting) uses interviews, great questions, and stories from her experiences in the classroom to make content come to life. Produced by the Sourcewell Education Solutions team.

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Ed Soul

The Power of Windows and Mirrors with Ann McGee founder of Open Windows Books

September 26, 2025 • Sourcewell • Season 5 • Episode 3

In this episode Ann McGee, Founder of Open Windows Books, shares her journey in increasing diverse literature for our rural schools. Learn about the concept of windows and mirrors in literature, how diverse texts are important for all our students, and teacher learning for how to “teach” diverse books. Interested in getting involved? Check out an Open Windows Books near you!

Resources and ideas from this episode:

Open Windows Books | Multicultural education resources interested in donating? Check here.

Cooperative Children's Book Center – UW–Madison

Booklists - Social Justice Books

Indigenous Peoples Day Texts:

This Land by Ashley Fairbanks – Birchbark Books

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Editor) / Birchbark Books & Native Arts

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard / Birchbark Books & Native Arts

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell – Birchbark Books (Great for Thanksgiving)

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson | Goodreads

Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother's Life by Kao Kalia Yang | Goodreads

Join a Sourcewell cohort: Text Perspectives - Shaping Lives (an Open Windows Books Cohort) | Sourcewell