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Gov. Newsom Recalls Struggles Reading As A Child

SACRAMENTO (CBS SF / AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom wants kids to know it's OK if they have a hard time reading.

That's because he knows what it's like.

Newsom, who is dyslexic, told school children Friday he still gets stressed when he has to read out loud because he was laughed at as a kid for struggling to read.

Newsom Reads To Kids
Gov. Gavin Newsom reads to children on March 1, 2019. (CBS)

His remarks to sixth graders came after he and his wife read to kindergarteners to celebrate Read Across America Day.

He read a book about a young girl becoming an engineer, while Jennifer Siebel Newsom read a story about a young girl becoming a scientist.

Newsom later told the sixth graders not to tease slower learners. He says he will "never forget" being laughed at when called on to read in school.

© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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