Courageous Inquiry: Educator Stories of Unlearning, Relearning, and Reconciliation

Author(s): Dr. Maria Vamvalis

ISBN: 978-1-7781627-3-2

Courageous Inquiry invites K–12 educators into the ongoing work of truth and reconciliation through the voices of educators across Canada. Blending personal narratives with reflection prompts and practical tools, it supports educators in navigating the ethical complexities of engaging Indigenous knowledges and communities with care and responsibility. Guided by Mi’kmaw scholar Dr. Marie Battiste and the TC² framework for quality thinking, this book encourages thoughtful action while emphasizing reconciliation as an ongoing, relational practice, asking not just What can I do?, but Who am I in relation to this work?

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Format: Print (240 pages)

Subject: Not Subject Specific

Grade: K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Post-secondary

Type of resource: Professional Resources

Language: English

Published: 2026

Overview

Author

Table of Contents

Overview

Courageous Inquiry invites K–12 educators into the ongoing, often uncomfortable work of truth and reconciliation in classrooms and beyond.

Grounded in the lived experiences of educators across Canada, this resource shares real stories of transformation: learning to teach differently, relate more ethically, and take responsibility in a context shaped by colonial histories and present-day systemic harm.

What is Courageous Inquiry?

Courageous inquiry is the willingness to examine how curricular choices, pedagogical routines, assessment practices, and institutional norms may reproduce the very inequities we seek to disrupt. It also requires remaining committed to an ongoing learning process when progress is uneven, guidance is incomplete, and mistakes carry real consequences.

What’s inside

Personal educator narratives: Authentic stories from 34 educators navigating the real tensions of reconciliation in practice.
Structured reflection prompts: Guided questions that deepen discernment and support educators in examining their own positionality and practice.
Practice-oriented tools: Grounded in the TC² critical thinking framework, tools support thoughtful action without simplifying complexity.
Scholarly grounding: Guided by the insights of Mi’kmaw scholar Marie Battiste on Indigenous education and ethical relationality.

This resource is for educators who…

Want to move beyond surface-level Land acknowledgements toward relational accountability
Are engaging—or beginning to engage—with distinct Indigenous knowledges and communities
Feel uncertain about their role in truth and reconciliation and want honest guidance
Seek professional learning that meets them where they are, but doesn’t let them stay there

Many educators are asking What can I do? This book asks instead: Who am I in relation to this work, and how might I show up with greater accountability, courage, and thoughtfulness?

The Journey to Courageous Inquiry

Dr. Maria Vamvalis shares her thoughts on the positionality of the organization and the journey that TC² underwent towards Courageous Inquiry.

“The process itself was a form of courageous inquiry…We moved through genuine uncertainty, took direction from Indigenous scholars and community members at every stage, surveyed educators to understand what was actually needed, and allowed the shape of the resource to be changed by what we encountered.”

Read Maria’s full blog post

Learn more about the processes, key learnings, and action steps in each phase of the journey

Author

Maria Vamvalis, PhD, is an award-winning educator, researcher, and systems thinker with over 20 years of experience reimagining learning as a force for equity, justice, and planetary regeneration. A former public school teacher and now Director at TC², she has supported thousands of educators in embedding critical thinking to deepen purpose, coherence, and learner well-being across diverse educational contexts. Her nationally recognized doctoral research in climate education advances pedagogies that foster structural change, collective agency, and life-affirming futures. Maria’s leadership bridges local and international initiatives to revitalize democratic culture, and is grounded in a commitment to relationality, diverse ways of knowing, and transformative thinking for regenerative systems change.

Brief Table of Contents

Introduction

Collection A: Reproducing Harm Unintentionally
Gathering in a Good Way

Storytelling Round One: Willingness and the Inner Terrain
Storytelling Round Two: Deepening Reflexivity
Storytelling Round Three: Ethical Engagement with Indigenous Knowledge
Storytelling Round Four: Co-creating with Students

Closing the Circle

Collection B: Finding, Honouring, and Integrating Credible and Authentic Voices
Gathering in a Good Way

Storytelling Round One: Integrating Credible Voices and Perspectives
Storytelling Round Two: Respecting Diverse Knowledge Systems
Storytelling Round Three: Right Relation as an Ongoing Practice of Partnership

Closing the Circle

Collection C: Building Confidence to Do the Work with Care and Insight
Gathering in a Good Way

Storytelling Round One: Land Acknowledgements and Language
Storytelling Round Two: Challenging Assumptions and Dismantling Biases
Storytelling Round Three: On Relevant and Engaging Learning
Storytelling Round Four: On Being a Learner

Closing the Circle

Collection D: Navigating Systemic Tensions
Gathering in a Good Way

Storytelling Round One: Navigating Systemic Tensions
Storytelling Round Two: On Sustaining the Work Over Time
Storytelling Round Three: Nurturing Teacher Agency to Do What Is Needed

Closing the Circle

Closing

This resource was developed with in-kind and financial support from Thinking Historically for Canada’s Future, a national research partnership supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Regular Price: $41.95

Format: Print

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