Gaynor had a special guest speaker this week: California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Gov. Newsom visited with Orange and Yellow Cluster students to talk about his new book, Ben and Emma’s Big Hit, as well as his experiences with dyslexia. The goal of his book is to let students with learning differences know that they are not alone.
Gov. Newsom met students in the Performing Arts Center, where he talked to them about his job as governor, his life, and growing up with dyslexia.
“I had a hard time spelling and reading,” he said. “I had to go to speech therapy. I had to learn to say ‘sss’ versus ‘th.’ The hard part is that I used to give up a lot, and sometimes I didn’t feel as smart, so I decided to write a book talking a little bit about my experience. I found that I was really good at sports, but that I wasn’t good in the classroom, so I wrote this book about my experience with dyslexia.”
Students then asked Gov. Newsom to read his book, something that was unplanned as he told the audience that he was anxious about reading aloud. However, with encouragement from the students, he read the entire book.
After reading he said, “The reality is, I’m still that kid even though I’m older, because dyslexia doesn’t go away. You just figure out ways to [compensate] — meaning you find strengths, not just weaknesses. This is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to you. I’ve found that all the smartest and best people are different. Make mistakes. Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t quit. I know it’s hard, but if you don’t give up, the sky’s the limit.”
To close out the talk, Gov. Newsom answered a few questions from students. He then took a picture with each class and signed copies of his book for students.