“We see unveiled a deep underutilized resource that would have great benefits for the lives of students and teachers working more collaboratively. Read it! Learn from it! Act on it!”

– Michael Fullan, OC, Professor Emeritus, OISE/University of Toronto

“This wise father-daughter conversation should spark broader discussions in homes and schools across Canada and beyond – about how to take good education systems and make them great.”

– Annie Kidder, Executive Director, People for Education

“Too Far From Perfect is an ingeniously crafted manifesto for student involvement in education.”

– Kourosh Houshmand, Former Vice-President of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association 

Toronto Star Feature, September 25/2013

Too Far from Perfect is based on the reflections of a Toronto high school student about her learning journey from pre-school to grade 12. Through a dialogue with her father, educator Charles Pascal, Tai Notar describes the lessons learned about what has made the big difference to her learning and the educational aspirations of her peers. While Tai’s focus in on catching teachers and others doing things right, her narrative also calls attention to things that need to change. In this regard, Tai provides some provocative ideas about how public education can move closer to perfect. This father-daughter conversation is a must read for teachers and parents who believe that we need to listen more carefully to the authentic stories of our children and students.

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