From reluctant administrator to award-winning principal, Dr. Cynthia Rapaido's remarkable 30-year journey through educational leadership offers powerful insights for anyone considering school administration. What began as an academic exercise to move up the salary scale unexpectedly blossomed into a 22-year administrative career spanning assistant principalship, principalship, and higher education mentoring.
Dr. Rapaido's story uniquely illuminates the intersection of cultural identity and educational leadership. As a Filipino woman navigating leadership roles traditionally dominated by different voices, she learned to balance her cultural values emphasizing harmony with the directness required for effective administration. Her powerful account of finding her voice—learning that "we can agree to disagree"—serves as an inspiring example for leaders from all backgrounds struggling to reconcile personal identity with professional expectations.
The conversation delves deep into the foundation of effective school leadership: knowing yourself. Dr. Rapaido describes the "fruit leadership style chart" from her book "Step Up Your School Leadership Game," which helps administrators identify their natural strengths and approaches. She emphasizes the critical importance of understanding your core values and non-negotiables before stepping into leadership positions, ensuring alignment between personal philosophy and school or district culture.
For current administrators struggling with work-life balance, Dr. Rapaido offers practical wisdom about scheduling "big rocks"—the activities that provide restoration and reflection—and being fully present during those times. Her approach to leadership development extends beyond technique to encompass holistic well-being, something often overlooked in leadership training.
Whether you're a teacher considering administration, a new principal seeking guidance, or an experienced leader looking to mentor others, this episode provides both practical strategies and philosophical depth. Connect with Dr. Rapaido through LinkedIn or email (crapaido@gmail.com) to learn more about her leadership development work and how you might benefit from her experiences as you build your own educational leadership identity. What leadership fruit are you?
Connect with Dr. Cynthia Rapaido:
email: crapaido@gmail.com
Book: "Step Up Your School Leadership Game"
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Principal JL (00:00):
Today I am thrilled to welcome Dr Cynthia
Rapaido to the podcast.
She is a longtime educator andleader with over 30 years of
experience in California schools, serving as a teacher,
assistant, principal, principaland higher education mentor.
She holds an educationaldoctorate in international and
(00:21):
multicultural education andrecently published her first
book called Step Up your SchoolLeadership Game a guide for new
administrators.
An award-winning leader andpassionate advocate for equity
and inclusion, Dr Rapaidocontinues to coach and inspire
educators across all levels.
(00:42):
Now here is our conversation.
Welcome back, everybody foranother episode of the
Educational Leadership Podcast.
Today I have a special guest,Dr Cynthia Rapaido.
(01:05):
Cynthia, welcome to the show.
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (01:08):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me, Jeff.
Principal JL (01:11):
All right, I like to start off asking every guest
the same question what inspiredyou to pursue a career in
education.
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (01:20):
It's funny that you asked that question,
because when I was in college Ididn't even think about going
into education at all.
I was a biology major, thinkingI was going to go into the
medical field and I was evendoing.
I was a candy striper, I wasworking in the surgical office,
a surgical room, and just tryingto navigate my way around the
hospital in terms of careersjust trying to navigate my way
(01:41):
around the hospital in terms ofcareers.
But there was this opening atSan Diego State where they were
looking for peer advisors, whichwere college students going on
to the high school campuses andtrying to help the high school
students apply for colleges.
(02:02):
And I thought, oh well, that'sme, because I didn't know much
about getting into college, Ikind of fell through the cracks.
So I didn't know I had to takethe SAT, I didn't know that I
had to have a certain GPA,certain courses, and then by
doing that that got me intocoaching or mentoring high
(02:28):
school kids and so I loved that.
And then I just totally wentthe opposite direction.
I said, okay, I'm getting abiology degree and I'm going to
teach high school biology.
So that was my route and didn'tgo the medical field way my
route and didn't go the medicalfield way.
Principal JL (02:45):
Well, that's really interesting.
The more I do this podcast, themore I learned that a lot of
people that get into educationmay not be thinking about
education as a first careerchoice.
And that was kind of like myjourney as well, Like I thought
I was going to go become aphysical therapist but it wasn't
until I got into coaching and Idecided you know what I really
(03:06):
like this teaching gig and theeducation side, so that really
inspired me to get intoeducation.
So it's really fun to hear howpeople get into education and
pursue their careers.
So let's share a little bitabout your early years in the
classroom.
What subjects or grades did youteach and what did you love
most about teaching?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (03:28):
I was a biology teacher biology, life
science and when I got hired, myfirst year it was biology,
chemistry, human anatomy.
Second year, chemistry.
There was one more.
So all of the classes weredifferent.
(03:49):
So I had five different prepperiods.
I didn't know, I couldn't keepup with all of the different
classes in terms of, okay, whichone am I going to do the lesson
plan first, but I didn't haveanything to compare it to
Knowing.
Now it's like, okay, I shouldhave just taken one that had
just two classes that I canreally focus on.
(04:10):
But what did I love about that?
I loved connecting with thekids and I love the kids.
They were high school kids,ninth graders to seniors.
The seniors were, you know, theones that were smart and were
already thinking about college.
And then you had the ones thatwere smart and were already
thinking about college, and thenyou had the squirrely little
ninth graders that I reallyloved connecting with the life
(04:31):
science ones.
Oh, one of them was like the ELlife science.
So, just being able to connectwith the kids and turning them
on to science, I just wanted tomake sure that they loved
science and I didn't want themto, you know, not like science.
After they took me as a teacher.
So I said if they're going totake life science, they're going
(04:51):
to want to go on to biology.
If they take biology, they'regoing to want to take chemistry.
So that was my goal was forthem to fall in love with
science.
Principal JL (05:01):
You bet I mean that's great.
I was a math teacher and youknow how people love math, but
you know, I think that was partof my goal as a teacher as well,
where I was like you know what.
You may not love the subjectthat I teach, but my goal is to
help you at least like it, or atleast you know, develop
appreciation of the work.
The work and so it sounds likeyou you had that same type of
(05:26):
experience as well as a scienceteacher is to help kids really
love it and fall in love withthat, that same subject area
that you're passionate about andwhat I've learned.
You know, if you're passionateabout something, the kids will
be passionate about it as well.
You know, you kind of talkedabout your, you know your
teaching here a little bit, butlet's really get to.
What we really want to knowabout is what got you to think
(05:48):
about becoming a school leader,what motivated you to transition
from teacher intoadministration?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (05:57):
Good question.
I was in my seventh year ofteaching.
I was in my seventh year ofteaching, there was that salary
schedule and knowing that I hadto, I wasn't going to move very
far along in terms of thepayroll.
So I thought I'm going to takesome more classes just to go up
in the scale and just said, well, I think I'm going to get my
(06:19):
master's and I'll get acredential in administrative
services.
And so I took the classes andone of the requirements for the
last, the very last class wascome up with a resume, come up
with your cover letter and apply.
I thought, okay, I'll justwrite my cover letter and apply
(06:42):
as an assignment, because Ialready got a.
You know, I got an A on myresume.
I thought, oh good, okay, solet's see what happens.
And I got interviewed and Ithought now what do I do?
Do I really want to do that ordo I want to go into?
No, what do I want?
To stay in teaching?
Um, and so I talked with myprincipal and he said Cynthia,
(07:02):
you've been doing stuff that'sleadership role, you're doing
after-school program.
He said, cynthia, you've beendoing stuff that's leadership
role You're doing after schoolprogram.
You know, you're club advisor.
You've been working with thedistrict office.
That's because I like thesethings.
But I don't know what.
I don't know.
And he said well, you're goingto, we're going to give you a
(07:23):
walkie talkie and we're going tolet you sub for a little bit
while somebody else is gone andsee what happens.
You know if you like it or not.
And so he gave me thatopportunity to do that.
I thought it was just kind ofawkward to be at my own school
site and seeing my kids, and nowthey see me with the walkie
talkie.
And here I am.
I told the kids.
I said, if you get in troubleand you get sent to the office,
(07:44):
you are going to do double timewith me.
I'm going to give you doublesuspension or whatever.
It was class time, because I'mtelling you now that I'm going
to be out there, as you know,doing administration work.
And they laughed, of course,the kids, you know they were
behaving, but that's what got meinto educational leadership as
an AP.
(08:05):
So I got the job, took the joband and I didn't think I was
going to enjoy it Um did it forone year and I thought I'm not
going to survive this first year.
Um, this is crazy, but who dopeople doing this?
And so year one became year two, and that year two became year
(08:28):
17.
17.
And then I went intoprincipalship and did another
five years.
Principal JL (08:30):
All right, let's talk about your assistant
principalship a little bit.
With that role, what are somekey lessons or moments that you
really shaped your leadershipstyle?
What really shaped you as aleader, as an AP, before you got
into that principalship?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (08:47):
When I was an AP, I thought that was all I
wanted to be.
I didn't have, I wasn'tinterested in going up the
ladder and becoming a principal.
But then when I was talkingwith the kids, they would
introduce me to their mom or Iwould see them at the game and
then they would say, oh, you'rethe principal, and I would say,
(09:07):
no, I'm your assistant principal.
And thinking, okay, if theythink I'm their principal, then
I'm going to pretend I'm theprincipal and I would walk
around the campus and go hi, Iwould think of what does my
principal do?
No, she's out there, visible infront of everybody, stands in
the hallway and thinking, okay,what do I need to do to make
(09:32):
myself visible to not just thestudents but now the faculty?
Because I needed to be a leaderin that, and so finding a
mentor to help me learn theother areas that weren't my
strengths really helped me.
Principal JL (09:52):
After being an AP for 17 years, you stepped into
the principalship role.
What was that?
Like you know, going from AP toa principalship, because
they're kind of you know they'rethe same but yet there's two
different worlds there.
How was that transition?
What are some big takeaways?
You could talk about being thatprincipal of the building and
(10:14):
having the weight of thatposition on you where maybe you
didn't have that as an AP attimes.
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (10:21):
I think you know the big difference between
that is you know, as an AP,you're second in command and so
you, you humbly, you know,follow the lead and you follow
and align everything with yourleader, whether it's you know,
your principal and the districtoffice.
But then becoming the principalis being able to identify who I
(10:48):
am as a leader is reallyimportant.
And then what are my goals andvisions for the school and how
do I align that with thedistrict office and how do I
lead everybody?
It's not just a team, not justa department, but now it's
everybody.
It's not just a team, not justa department, but now it's
everybody.
And, as you had mentioned insome of your podcasts, it's like
(11:08):
building those relationshipswith the cafeteria person or the
students, the paraprofessionals, and making them visible,
because it's the whole school.
Principal JL (11:23):
Yeah, you bet.
So really that principal role Iagree with that is where you
really how do you get everybodyto row the boat in the same
direction, how do you geteverybody to collaborate, work
together?
And that really comes from thetop to where.
If you have that value and youbelieve in that, that's going to
(11:44):
transpire down all the way intoyour students.
So people don't realize, andeven studies and research has
shown that that principalship isreally key to helping your
teachers learn and grow.
But everybody learn and grow,not just your teachers, but your
staff, your paraprofessionals,your custodians, everybody all
the way down to the students.
And so that's kind of the rolethat principalship really has.
(12:07):
But let's talk about nexttransitioning from being a
principal and you got intohigher education.
What was the reasoning for that?
What prompted you to go?
Hey, you know I really lovewhat I'm doing, but you know
what I want to take this nextstep into higher education,
educational coaching.
(12:28):
You know, does something.
Was that something you plannedor was that something that kind
of just naturally happened foryou?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (12:34):
It wasn't planned and it wasn't natural.
I had gone through some PD thatthe district wanted us to do.
One of the PDs was onCourageous Conversations with
Glenn Singleton and I thoughtthat was so powerful and I
(12:54):
thought how did he do that?
How is he able to speak infront of administrators and talk
about race?
Because when I sat in the roomI'm thinking, okay, I'm a female
and I'm a person of color, butthere was a lot of other people
(13:16):
that were white and for him tohave those conversations and
kind of make us realize our race, our ethnicity, I thought I
want to go back, I want tofigure out what, how he did that
, what did he study to be inthat position?
And I couldn't find a degree inthat.
(13:39):
But I then I looked at USF andUSF, the University of San
Francisco.
They had a multicultural,international and multicultural
education program and that'swhen I thought I want to study
that, because now I'm going tosee things internationally and
multiculturally and just beingmore sensitive.
(14:03):
And then that's where I thoughtI'm going to study that.
And then I want to teach thatat the university and I want to
be with the administrators so Icould teach them.
So that way it becomes part ofthe admin credential program and
then they can go back to theirschool and lead.
So that was where I wasthinking of that kind of picture
(14:25):
.
Principal JL (14:25):
Yeah.
So it sounds kind of like yousaw something there was a need
for and you're like you knowwhat.
That'd be really great if I canhelp that process, because I
see this person really puttingthemselves out there and talking
about these things that arevery important.
And how can I help?
You know, lead the charge inthat way, and so that's really
(14:48):
great and powerful that you knowyou were able to recognize that
, but then not just recognize itbut actually go and do it Right
.
Yeah, yeah.
So that's so.
Was that part of yourdissertation, your doctoral work
?
When you were going back anddoing that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (15:05):
It became so.
My doctoral work was titledFilipino American Educational
Leaders in Northern CaliforniaK-12 Public Schools Challenges
and Opportunities, because itbecame the awareness of where
(15:27):
are people that look like me?
I am not seeing anybody that'sFilipino.
I might see some Asians youknow the bigger race group but
where are the Filipinos?
And trying to find them asparticipants in my study, I only
had like six participants.
I couldn't find them, and sothat became a huge passion of
(15:49):
mine, and then it became anawareness of the learning of it
all.
Principal JL (15:57):
You bet.
So you know through that youhave been a lecturer, you have
been a dissertation chairthrough your time working in the
university, as well as auniversity supervisor.
Now tell me if I'm right onthese.
So the University of California, berkeley, the University of
San Francisco, the CaliforniaState University of East Bay is
(16:19):
that correct on that one?
Yes, did I get that one?
Okay.
So so, through theseexperiences, how were these
experiences in higher educationcomplement your work in K-12?
How did you know doing thatwork complement that work that
you previously did?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (16:38):
So now, as a university supervisor, I'm
working with teachers that arejust entering the profession,
trying to get their credentials,so it's inspiring them at the
same time guiding them in termsof all the credential
(17:00):
requirements to meet so that waythey can get hired.
So of course, we want goodeducators.
And how can I help?
It's all about how can I give,what can I give?
How can I help you knowbeginning teachers or people
going to you know into teaching?
How can I help administratorsaspire, help people aspire to
(17:21):
different positions in education?
So that was really huge for me.
And so, in terms of all thosedifferent roles dissertation
advisor, somebody had found meand said, hey, I'm doing
something on Filipino Americansand I don't have any Filipino
Americans where I live and theywere like in Wisconsin, I think,
and I felt great, this is aplatform that I'm familiar with.
(17:46):
I will be your dissertationadvisor.
So empowering her to do herdissertation and help her
navigate the doctoral program,that was a lot of fun.
But at the university level,all those different positions,
it all goes back to serving inthat servant leadership role and
just helping the pipeline ofeducators, Because not only do
(18:12):
we need teachers, we neededucational leaders.
Principal JL (18:17):
You bet, you bet, and that's kind of the overall
purpose of this podcast is totry to inspire that next
generation of educationalleaders and kind of give them
the ins and outs of what it'slike to be an educational leader
, because there's not a lot outthere for us and so, if anything
that we can do to inspire thenext generation because guess
(18:37):
what, education doesn't go awaywe're going to have generations
of education all the way down.
I know we're kind of in thatmoment of time where it's, you
know, being in education may notbe the most glamorous job, but
it's a very needed job and not alot of people are getting into
it for a lot of differentreasons.
I won't get into them, but itjust comes down to it's becoming
(18:59):
, like on my side, becomingharder and harder to get people
to, you know, apply and foropenings and like right now I
have an opening and I only havea couple of candidates and it's
kind of like, oh man, you usedto have like 20 for this, you
know, and now it's kind of justwhittled down.
But then that's where you gotto get creative on how you hire
(19:22):
and how you grow your own so youcan have a workforce to come
back.
So it sounds like you're kindof developing and growing that
workforce for education in thoseroles.
So let's talk about your book.
Step Up your School LeadershipGame.
You know what led you to writethe book.
(19:43):
Was there a defining moment?
What made you feel compelled towrite this book?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (19:52):
I felt, you know, that I needed a book when
I, when I went into educationnot just education, but as a
assistant principal there wereso many things that I didn't
know that I wish I would haveknown.
And trying to find books forbeginners or or aspiring people.
(20:13):
That's what inspired me towrite the book.
It's a mentor, it's a $25mentor, for the rest of your
life.
You can pull it out of theshelf and go what do I need to
do?
Or what was that advice thatwas given?
That's what inspired me,because I know that not
everybody goes back to schoolper se to get a doctorate or get
(20:39):
their master's, or they mightnot know the duties of an
administrator.
Sometimes, from a teacher'sperspective, they want to
separate themselves and they say, oh, you went to the dark side,
but it's really not the darkside.
It's like we're all in thistogether.
There is no dark side.
(20:59):
And to break that mindset ofthat and to say we're here
together, whether you're thecustodian, we're here.
We're here to support you.
That's what that book is about.
Principal JL (21:14):
Is for teachers, teachers, for administrators,
for people who don't know whatthey do, what we do it's it's
for them you know, it's reallyawesome that you have this book
for those aspiring administratoreven for the current
administrators that may are, youknow, curious, can they do
something better or to getbetter at something.
(21:36):
So it's really great that youhave something out there for
people to have.
So you know, with that book,what do you think is some of the
biggest takeaway that you wouldwant a new or aspiring
administrator to have you knowfrom that book when they read it
?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (21:53):
I think it's like the first section is
probably the key, which is knowyourself.
Know yourself as a leader.
There's activities.
I came up with a fruitleadership style chart where you
can identify your strengths asa leader.
And then there's also themultifaceted identity who are
(22:13):
you as a leader, who are youworking with?
And then there's also themultifaceted identity who are
you as a leader, who are youworking with?
And then building thatemotional intelligence with all
the different people you workwith.
And then knowing your corevalues, your non-negotiables and
the goals for the school.
So that's that first section.
Wherever you go, at least ifyou know how you are, and then
(22:36):
you can kind of assess okay,what's Jeff like?
What fruit style is he?
And then I would be able towork better with you based on
what you describe as your fruitleadership style or your
multifaceted identity.
You bet.
Principal JL (22:52):
Yeah, that's really powerful for people to
know is kind of know what theirstyle is, who they are, what do
they value.
Because, just like people,districts are different.
They have different alignments,they have different values,
they have different expectations.
And you got to make sure, yeah,you may want to go into
(23:12):
becoming an administrator orprincipal, but you have to make
sure that district you alignedwith that district.
Because if you get into adistrict you're not aligned with
, you won't enjoy it, it's notgoing to be a good time for you
because you're not going to havethe same values and you're not
going to have the same goalsthat you would if you knew who
(23:33):
you were and you knew how toalign yourself to that district.
And I think that's reallyimportant for people to really
understand that piece, becauseyou can go become a principal
somewhere, but make sure it'sthe right fit.
And when you get into that andyou do these interviews, you
just know like, yeah, thesethings check off, these things
(23:53):
work well.
I know I'm going to besuccessful here because of what
my values are aligned withtheirs and we're going to be
able to work together and tocreate that school environment
that you really want to achievewith that.
So that's what I hear you sayon that, and I think that's
really powerful for people toknow when it comes down to that.
(24:16):
I love how you said that too.
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (24:17):
Jeff, it's so important to know what the
district wants and if our valuesare aligned, and that is really
important.
Principal JL (24:27):
I know for me and my journey, when I did some
interviewing and stuff like that, if I got into a district and
we weren't aligned to it even ifthey would offer me the job I
knew I was saying no.
I knew that wasn't the place orjust because there wasn't
alignment If you don't havealignment, that's not going to
be beneficial for you, it's notgoing to be beneficial for that
(24:49):
district and your staff as well,and I think that's really
important to know when you'reout there seeking those jobs.
You got to know who you are soyou can align to that, and I
think that's really important toknow when you're out there
seeking those jobs.
You got to know who you are soyou can align to that.
So I think that's really reallyimportant for people to
understand.
I really want to highlight that.
So let's talk about your work alittle bit.
Equity and social justice arepart of the heart of your work.
How do you integratemulticultural competence and
(25:13):
emotional intelligence in theschool, leadership and coaching?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (25:17):
In the coaching.
I think what's really importantis knowing, or at least
exposing them to those differentareas If they're coming from an
affluent neighborhood andlooking at privileges and
(25:45):
looking at privileges or theymay be of privileged background
being aware of certain biases orunconscious biases, and
breaking down those barriers.
It's really important tounderstand, okay, multicultural
or multifaceted identities.
What does that look like?
When we say multifacetedidentities, it can be well.
What was our upbringing?
I'm a military brat and so Itraveled to different places.
I went to different schools inConnecticut and California and
(26:06):
the Philippines, so mybackground is a lot different,
even though I'm Filipino.
I have a lot of patriotism inthat sense.
So if I were to say, okay, whatdo I bring to the table, I
think by going back to you or tomy administrators or those that
I coach, I would also ask sotell me about yourself, what's
(26:29):
your multifaceted identity?
What's your background?
Does your background valueeducation?
Or it could be.
You know, some Asian culturesvalue wealth more than well.
In education, you have to be atthe top of the schools.
So what are our values?
(26:51):
And just breaking down thosebarriers is really important to
become aware of our biases, likeI was mentioning.
Principal JL (27:02):
I think one thing we kind of you are a military
brat.
I was in the military for eightyears as a reservist.
So that's kind of a uniquecoincidence, right.
I served eight years in theArmy Reserve.
I did a couple of deployments Idid one in El Salvador, did one
during the Iraqi war and duringfreedom operations.
So I got to see a lot ofdifferent cultures.
(27:24):
I got to see and experience alot of different types of people
around, not just the UnitedStates but the world, but the
world.
So when I got into education Iknew there was a bigger world
out there than what I grew up inNebraska.
And I also grew up in acommunity in Nebraska that a
huge Hispanic population.
So I grew up around you knowHispanic culture as well as the
(27:48):
culture that I grew up with inAmerica.
So you know you may thinkNebraska doesn't have diversity.
There's a lot more diversitythan people might give it credit
for.
So just my own.
You know history and myexperiences have really helped
me understand the differentcultural settings that other
people have.
(28:08):
You know spending time in theSouth.
You know in the South in theUnited States it's much
different than the Midwest oreven the Upper Northeast, and
you know every you know area ofthe United States has its own
like young culture really.
Yeah, but we're all togetherwhen it comes to being Americans
and I think understandingdifferent cultures and their
(28:31):
beliefs and how they view thingshelps you understand where
they're coming from.
And if you can understand wherethey're coming from, you can
really break down some barriersand be able to work together but
have an understanding of eachother's background.
And I think that's reallyimportant because, no matter if
(28:52):
you're in Nebraska, where I'm at, or in California, you're going
to see diversity across theboard, and being able to work
with different people fromdifferent backgrounds and
cultures is super importantbecause you got to be able to
understand them, they got to beable to understand you and you
got to be able to work togetherwhen it comes to making your
school the best it can be.
(29:13):
So I think that's reallyawesome that you know you kind
of.
That's kind of your work andwhat you're trying to do here.
And so, cynthia, your researchinterests range from school
climate to colonialism impact oneducation.
What are you currentlyexploring and what questions
(29:34):
keep you curious?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (29:36):
I think between the two, the two things
I could say about the schoolclimate and colonialism, those
in the spectrum I still look at.
Or still I'm curious about myidentity as a Filipino woman.
Or still I'm curious about myidentity as a Filipino woman, my
(29:59):
barriers, my own personalbarriers because of the cultural
expectations of being morequiet, listen to authority, but
if I'm the authority person orperson of authority, I need to
be able to have a voice, whereasin my culture we're not
supposed to have much of a voicebecause we're respecting, of
(30:21):
respecting other people, beingmore mindful of others and not
just always inserting my ownideas.
That's in the, in the culture.
And of course there's ahierarchy and so trying to break
down those hierarchy, ways ofcommunicating, to be an
effective leader and thenworking with as I'm seeing other
(30:43):
Filipino American educationalleaders go into the role, I see
them struggling with it andthey're new, and I just tell
them you got to break throughthat, even practice with me.
And they say how?
Because it's so ingrained inour culture to be not submissive
(31:03):
but just being more.
It is kind of being submissivewithout a voice and being able
to speak out, would you say morepassive?
Principal JL (31:14):
Is that a good term?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (31:19):
I wouldn't say necessarily passive.
They want harmony, and so theydon't want conflict, and so they
won't disagree.
They will agree for the sake ofharmony.
Principal JL (31:35):
I get you there, I get you.
So it sounds like you know,with leadership in this role
you're going to have conflictand it sounds like with your
background, in your culturalidentity, conflict is something
that you know in your culturedon't necessarily like and you
want to kind of just kind oflike, okay, let's kind of get
(31:57):
this problem solved real quickso I don't have to work through
that anymore.
So can you have a story thatkind of talks about how you had
a conflict and how thatchallenging of working through
that conflict because of yourcultural background, you know
how did you persevere throughthat?
Could you have a story thatkind of lines up to that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (32:20):
Yeah, sure, well, I can think of.
You know one story where I wasworking with an assistant
principal who was very dominant,very direct, yeah, very, very
direct.
So he was my counterpart and hewould say, cynthia, because I
need to know, I like it when youget mad, because you need to
have more direct with what youneed to say.
(32:40):
And I just thought, well, yes,I am, I am upset.
But at one point there was thistime where he, he stuck a note
in my mailbox and on the, on thepaper paper, he said you need
to communicate with me.
(33:00):
This is bullshit.
And I forgot what the story wasand what it was about.
But by getting that in mymailbox, I didn't want to
confront him.
I was so upset and angry totell him off.
So then I went to my boss, myprincipal, and I said you know,
(33:23):
jackie, look at what he wrote.
I go, I'm really, really upsetthat he wrote this memo in my
mailbox.
And she said well, you shouldtell him.
And I said tell him.
I'm thinking in my head butyou're my boss, you're my
hierarchy, I'm reporting it toyou so that you can address it
(33:46):
and not for me to address itbecause he's my equal.
And so I'm thinking of thehierarchy part and I'm reporting
it.
And she said no, cynthia, youknow, he needs to hear it from
you that you're upset.
And so all this was bubblinginside of me Like I don't want
to, I don't want to talk to him.
(34:06):
My stomach was feeling, youknow, like it don't, I don't
want to have this conversation.
Um, and he came looking for me.
By then it was, you know, threehours, four hours, since I've
seen the note.
And he said did you get my note?
And I said I did, because I wasthinking in my head how am I
going to address this?
(34:26):
And he said well, and I saidwell, and he goes.
Why didn't you talk to me?
Because I told you tocommunicate.
Well, and he goes.
Why didn't you talk to me?
Because I told you tocommunicate.
I said well because, rich, one,just the tone of your memo.
And two, I'm not going torespond to you when you use
profanity like that.
(34:47):
You know, if you need to talkto me, then you come.
You know, see me and be civilabout it.
He said that's good, you know,tell me, you know you need to be
, you know, say it, just likethat.
And I said okay, and by afterhaving that, the guts to say
what I needed to say, then Ithought, okay, he's now giving
(35:09):
me permission to be direct,which actually helped me grow as
a leader.
So then I would start kind oflike inserting my just to push
buttons Okay, now I can disagree.
And my principal said, cynthia,we can agree to disagree.
(35:29):
And I thought in my head I'venever heard that before, I've
never heard that comment we canagree to disagree.
And so then I would turn thaton Rich and say Rich, we can
agree to disagree.
That's a huge step to know thatwe don't have to always get
along in that way or have toagree on things.
Principal JL (35:50):
And I think really that story sounds like to me is
something you could take withyou and utilize into your
principalship, because, as aprincipal, we want to be able to
empower our staff to have thoseadult conversations.
Because, as a principal, ifwe're fixing our staff's
problems all the time, we ain'tgoing to get anything done that
(36:12):
we need to get done as well.
So you know, to me that's reallyan empowering story that helped
, empowered you, um, throughthat word.
Did that help you empower otherpeople?
Um, through that lesson thatyou had, so did that teach you
how to empower other people todo the same thing for for
themselves?
I think so.
(36:33):
Um, because I would tell peoplethe same thing it's okay to
disagree, we can agree todisagree.
Of a parent coming in to youknow, appeal a suspension.
We can agree to disagree.
Um, otherwise I would havebacktracked my suspension and
(36:55):
said, okay, maybe I'll just dodetention instead.
No, it's okay, if you want toappeal it, there's a process as
well.
So, whether it's a parent or ateacher staff member, that was
for me to do that, but at thesame time, I would tell other
people to do that as well.
You know, you can disagree withyour department, you don't
(37:16):
always have to agree.
You go oh, I have work this time, I'm going to do
it again.
So I think, being able to standyour ground on things, you just
(37:38):
got to be able to do thatwithin that role in educational
leadership.
And so I really thank you forthat story, because that really
is something that is reallyimpactful for other people to
know and learn that you may notagree with everything but it's
OK, like that's where the agreeto disagree philosophy comes in,
and I thank you for sharingthat story.
So you've been honored withsome incredible recognitions.
(38:02):
You've been named one of the100 most influential Filipino
women in the US.
With that acknowledgement, whatdoes that mean personally and
professionally to you With that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (38:17):
particular award, being, you know, one of
the top 100 Filipinas.
Of course, that means a lot tome in a personal level because
it honors my background.
My parents were able to attendthe award ceremony to validate
them all their struggles ofimmigrating from the Philippines
(38:41):
, my dad joining the Navy, thelife that he led in that role,
in that career, so that wasreally meaningful for me
personally and thenprofessionally, just being able
to say okay, I think you knowthere's some credibility here
with, you know, having a voice,having a platform, I'm a leader,
(39:04):
I'm a true leader and I don'thave to be such a dominant
person.
I can still be my caring selfand but use my voice, use my, my
space to educate others and andbe that, that person that's
helping everybody.
Principal JL (39:23):
You bet.
So outside of your professionallife, you enjoy music, skating,
making handcraft, jewelry, andhow do you balance?
You know, your work life, yourhobbies and your work life.
How do you balance that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (39:39):
Well, nowadays, I think it's really
important to know those wherethe big rocks are.
The big rocks you know,whatever those rocks are you
know, put them on your calendar.
So if exercise is important,put it on your calendar, or put
it on my calendar.
Going dancing, I'm going to doit.
Play the piano, let's put in anhour into the calendar, and
(40:05):
that's pretty much.
The main thing is making timefor a real life, because our
work is going to be there as weright.
Our work is 24 7 and if wedon't unplug, then time is
passing by.
And how are we taking care ofour own health?
How are we?
(40:25):
How are we restoring our ownenergy?
So I think that's reallyimportant to be reflective of
that and taking the time to dosome kind of reflection.
So, like I say, if it's music,music just takes me away into
another dimension where I'mpresent.
(40:45):
With the music, I'm singing thelyrics, I don't have time to
think of worries because I'mpresent.
So, I think, making sure thatthere's time for that and then,
if there's time for reflectionso if I'm making jewelry, I'm
sitting quietly but I'm able toreflect and be I think people
(41:06):
get the same kind of feelingwhen they're cooking in the
kitchen where they're feelingokay.
I'm in this mode, I'm present,but I'm thinking so, making sure
there's relaxation andreflection time.
Principal JL (41:20):
Those are all really great tips.
I really like the idea ofputting it on your calendar,
making time, holding that space.
So you do do those thingsbecause, like for me, if I don't
write it down or put it onsomething to where I remember,
I'll forget about it.
So I think that's a reallygreat piece of advice to hey
make time for the things thatare important and then, when you
(41:42):
are doing those things, stay inpresent, you know, with those
things especially, you know ifyou have a family or things like
that be present with them andleave that work in the rear view
mirror, because it's going tobe there when you get back.
And so don't think you got toget everything done in one day,
because your job's never done.
You're always got something todo and you're always got
(42:04):
something to pick up when youget back into that mode when you
get there.
But so when you're out of that,make sure you're present with
the things that bring you joy,things that help you bring that
balance to your work, so you cango in refreshed and renewed and
not you know, stressed outbecause you're worrying about
everything else from the daybefore.
(42:26):
So I really love that advicethat you gave there as well.
Is there anything in educationthat gives you hope for the
future?
Is there?
What hope do you have for thefuture of education?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (42:40):
I think just the kids.
They give me the hope.
I mean we see the little kidsand we see whether they're
elementary kids or they'remiddle school, high school kids.
They're kids and there'sinnocence with that and there's
the love of learning and I thinkthose that go into education we
(43:03):
are nurturing.
We want our kids to learn adifferent group of people who
really care about our future andgenerations of that.
So I mean we lead by example.
So whether we're reading booksor we're reading books to them
(43:25):
and they're reading, you knowbooks to others.
Principal JL (43:45):
It's a nice cycle, and so that's what gives me,
you know, the wonderful hope ofpiece of advice that you can
give to the school leaders outthere that are listening to this
podcast right now.
What would that advice be?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (44:01):
I would say don't wait to be tapped on the
shoulder.
You might not know everything,you might not know what the next
role is going to be, but noteverybody's going to tap you on
the shoulder to go into the nextcareer ladder and to find
mentors.
Find mentors, ask them.
(44:22):
You know, will you be my mentor, jeff?
I don't know what it's like tobe a principal, but I really
want to be a principal, or maybeI don't want to be a principal.
Or can you teach me some of thethings that you do?
Or can I shadow you?
Any of those can be ideas and,at the same time, as educational
(44:43):
leaders, we need to beresponsible too, to have people
and not just always pick theones that are the most active,
because it could be also thequiet ones that will grow from
it.
So, again, the mentoring,supporting each other.
There was one more, not just oh, and networking.
(45:07):
It's so important to network,and so I think this podcast that
you have I mean it's reachingso many people that are going
into educational leadership theability to network in this kind
of group, as well as joinorganizations, just like in your
(45:30):
state, my state.
Find the organizations thatrepresent administrators, join
the national one.
Get on the board because youcan go to these events, but then
if you can serve on the board,it's even bigger of a network.
So that's what my advice wouldbe is to do those Network, join
(45:53):
organizations, find mentors,support each other and don't
don't wait to be tapped.
Principal JL (45:58):
Those are all great pieces of advice there,
cynthia, and I agree, like youknow, for me, you know, yes, I
had someone in my life thatencouraged me because I had no
you know, no desire to be aprincipal, but it wasn't until I
started reflecting, like maybeI can do this.
But I really love the fact aboutnetworking, getting with your
(46:22):
state, your local, your regionalorganizations as well, because
that's going to give you morepeople to connect with that are
on the same journey as you are,because when we get into these
principal ships, we will be indistricts where we might be the
only principal, we might be theonly administrator, and so we
(46:43):
need other people to stayconnected.
And that's also a good reasonfor my podcast is to try to
connect with other educationalleaders and help them so they
don't feel isolated.
They have something they can goto and go.
Hey, what did Cynthia talkabout?
I'd really love to hear thatepisode again and have that
there.
(47:04):
And so, cynthia, if peoplewanted to reach out and get in
touch with you, how could theydo that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (47:09):
with you.
Principal JL (47:10):
How could they do that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (47:10):
They can go to my LinkedIn site, Cynthia
Rapaido.
They can also email me crapaidoat gmailcom.
But those are the two main ones.
And then I also have my book.
That has the information inthere, too, that they could find
me as a mentor if they needsome kind of direction.
Principal JL (47:33):
And what I'll do, Cynthia, is I'll have all that
information in the show notesfor this episode so people can
easily find that when theyscroll down and they can click
on those things.
So we'll have all that therefor them.
So I really appreciate youcoming on the show today.
It was really great to have youand there's a lot of great
insights today.
(47:53):
So thank you, Cynthia, forbeing here today.
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (47:57):
Thank you too, jeff.
This was a wonderful episodethat you did with me, so thank
you so much.
Take care, jeff.
Principal JL (48:05):
Wow, what a great conversation with Dr Cynthia
Rapaido.
I am thankful for her sharingincredible insights on our
leadership, mentorship andbuilding inclusive school
communities.
Her passion for empoweringeducators and shaping the next
generation of leaders trulyshines through.
If you would like to learn moreabout her work, be sure to
(48:27):
check out her new book Step Upyour School Leadership Game.
I hope you enjoyed this episodeas much as I did.
It's an absolute honor havingDr Cynthia Rapaido on the
podcast.
Until next time, remember to be1% better.
Today I am thrilled to welcome Dr Cynthia
Rapaido to the podcast.
She is a longtime educator andleader with over 30 years of
experience in California schools, serving as a teacher,
assistant, principal, principaland higher education mentor.
She holds an educationaldoctorate in international and
(00:21):
multicultural education andrecently published her first
book called Step Up your SchoolLeadership Game a guide for new
administrators.
An award-winning leader andpassionate advocate for equity
and inclusion, Dr Rapaidocontinues to coach and inspire
educators across all levels.
(00:42):
Now here is our conversation.
Welcome back, everybody foranother episode of the
Educational Leadership Podcast.
Today I have a special guest,Dr Cynthia Rapaido.
(01:05):
Cynthia, welcome to the show.
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (01:08):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me, Jeff.
Principal JL (01:11):
All right, I like to start off asking every guest
the same question what inspiredyou to pursue a career in
education.
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (01:20):
It's funny that you asked that question,
because when I was in college Ididn't even think about going
into education at all.
I was a biology major, thinkingI was going to go into the
medical field and I was evendoing.
I was a candy striper, I wasworking in the surgical office,
a surgical room, and just tryingto navigate my way around the
hospital in terms of careersjust trying to navigate my way
(01:41):
around the hospital in terms ofcareers.
But there was this opening atSan Diego State where they were
looking for peer advisors, whichwere college students going on
to the high school campuses andtrying to help the high school
students apply for colleges.
(02:02):
And I thought, oh well, that'sme, because I didn't know much
about getting into college, Ikind of fell through the cracks.
So I didn't know I had to takethe SAT, I didn't know that I
had to have a certain GPA,certain courses, and then by
doing that that got me intocoaching or mentoring high
(02:28):
school kids and so I loved that.
And then I just totally wentthe opposite direction.
I said, okay, I'm getting abiology degree and I'm going to
teach high school biology.
So that was my route and didn'tgo the medical field way my
route and didn't go the medicalfield way.
Principal JL (02:45):
Well, that's really interesting.
The more I do this podcast, themore I learned that a lot of
people that get into educationmay not be thinking about
education as a first careerchoice.
And that was kind of like myjourney as well, Like I thought
I was going to go become aphysical therapist but it wasn't
until I got into coaching and Idecided you know what I really
(03:06):
like this teaching gig and theeducation side, so that really
inspired me to get intoeducation.
So it's really fun to hear howpeople get into education and
pursue their careers.
So let's share a little bitabout your early years in the
classroom.
What subjects or grades did youteach and what did you love
most about teaching?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (03:28):
I was a biology teacher biology, life
science and when I got hired, myfirst year it was biology,
chemistry, human anatomy.
Second year, chemistry.
There was one more.
So all of the classes weredifferent.
(03:49):
So I had five different prepperiods.
I didn't know, I couldn't keepup with all of the different
classes in terms of, okay, whichone am I going to do the lesson
plan first, but I didn't haveanything to compare it to
Knowing.
Now it's like, okay, I shouldhave just taken one that had
just two classes that I canreally focus on.
(04:10):
But what did I love about that?
I loved connecting with thekids and I love the kids.
They were high school kids,ninth graders to seniors.
The seniors were, you know, theones that were smart and were
already thinking about college.
And then you had the ones thatwere smart and were already
thinking about college, and thenyou had the squirrely little
ninth graders that I reallyloved connecting with the life
(04:31):
science ones.
Oh, one of them was like the ELlife science.
So, just being able to connectwith the kids and turning them
on to science, I just wanted tomake sure that they loved
science and I didn't want themto, you know, not like science.
After they took me as a teacher.
So I said if they're going totake life science, they're going
(04:51):
to want to go on to biology.
If they take biology, they'regoing to want to take chemistry.
So that was my goal was forthem to fall in love with
science.
Principal JL (05:01):
You bet I mean that's great.
I was a math teacher and youknow how people love math, but
you know, I think that was partof my goal as a teacher as well,
where I was like you know what.
You may not love the subjectthat I teach, but my goal is to
help you at least like it, or atleast you know, develop
appreciation of the work.
The work and so it sounds likeyou you had that same type of
(05:26):
experience as well as a scienceteacher is to help kids really
love it and fall in love withthat, that same subject area
that you're passionate about andwhat I've learned.
You know, if you're passionateabout something, the kids will
be passionate about it as well.
You know, you kind of talkedabout your, you know your
teaching here a little bit, butlet's really get to.
What we really want to knowabout is what got you to think
(05:48):
about becoming a school leader,what motivated you to transition
from teacher intoadministration?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (05:57):
Good question.
I was in my seventh year ofteaching.
I was in my seventh year ofteaching, there was that salary
schedule and knowing that I hadto, I wasn't going to move very
far along in terms of thepayroll.
So I thought I'm going to takesome more classes just to go up
in the scale and just said, well, I think I'm going to get my
(06:19):
master's and I'll get acredential in administrative
services.
And so I took the classes andone of the requirements for the
last, the very last class wascome up with a resume, come up
with your cover letter and apply.
I thought, okay, I'll justwrite my cover letter and apply
(06:42):
as an assignment, because Ialready got a.
You know, I got an A on myresume.
I thought, oh good, okay, solet's see what happens.
And I got interviewed and Ithought now what do I do?
Do I really want to do that ordo I want to go into?
No, what do I want?
To stay in teaching?
Um, and so I talked with myprincipal and he said Cynthia,
(07:02):
you've been doing stuff that'sleadership role, you're doing
after-school program.
He said, cynthia, you've beendoing stuff that's leadership
role You're doing after schoolprogram.
You know, you're club advisor.
You've been working with thedistrict office.
That's because I like thesethings.
But I don't know what.
I don't know.
And he said well, you're goingto, we're going to give you a
(07:23):
walkie talkie and we're going tolet you sub for a little bit
while somebody else is gone andsee what happens.
You know if you like it or not.
And so he gave me thatopportunity to do that.
I thought it was just kind ofawkward to be at my own school
site and seeing my kids, and nowthey see me with the walkie
talkie.
And here I am.
I told the kids.
I said, if you get in troubleand you get sent to the office,
(07:44):
you are going to do double timewith me.
I'm going to give you doublesuspension or whatever.
It was class time, because I'mtelling you now that I'm going
to be out there, as you know,doing administration work.
And they laughed, of course,the kids, you know they were
behaving, but that's what got meinto educational leadership as
an AP.
(08:05):
So I got the job, took the joband and I didn't think I was
going to enjoy it Um did it forone year and I thought I'm not
going to survive this first year.
Um, this is crazy, but who dopeople doing this?
And so year one became year two, and that year two became year
(08:28):
17.
17.
And then I went intoprincipalship and did another
five years.
Principal JL (08:30):
All right, let's talk about your assistant
principalship a little bit.
With that role, what are somekey lessons or moments that you
really shaped your leadershipstyle?
What really shaped you as aleader, as an AP, before you got
into that principalship?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (08:47):
When I was an AP, I thought that was all I
wanted to be.
I didn't have, I wasn'tinterested in going up the
ladder and becoming a principal.
But then when I was talkingwith the kids, they would
introduce me to their mom or Iwould see them at the game and
then they would say, oh, you'rethe principal, and I would say,
(09:07):
no, I'm your assistant principal.
And thinking, okay, if theythink I'm their principal, then
I'm going to pretend I'm theprincipal and I would walk
around the campus and go hi, Iwould think of what does my
principal do?
No, she's out there, visible infront of everybody, stands in
the hallway and thinking, okay,what do I need to do to make
(09:32):
myself visible to not just thestudents but now the faculty?
Because I needed to be a leaderin that, and so finding a
mentor to help me learn theother areas that weren't my
strengths really helped me.
Principal JL (09:52):
After being an AP for 17 years, you stepped into
the principalship role.
What was that?
Like you know, going from AP toa principalship, because
they're kind of you know they'rethe same but yet there's two
different worlds there.
How was that transition?
What are some big takeaways?
You could talk about being thatprincipal of the building and
(10:14):
having the weight of thatposition on you where maybe you
didn't have that as an AP attimes.
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (10:21):
I think you know the big difference between
that is you know, as an AP,you're second in command and so
you, you humbly, you know,follow the lead and you follow
and align everything with yourleader, whether it's you know,
your principal and the districtoffice.
But then becoming the principalis being able to identify who I
(10:48):
am as a leader is reallyimportant.
And then what are my goals andvisions for the school and how
do I align that with thedistrict office and how do I
lead everybody?
It's not just a team, not justa department, but now it's
everybody.
It's not just a team, not justa department, but now it's
everybody.
And, as you had mentioned insome of your podcasts, it's like
(11:08):
building those relationshipswith the cafeteria person or the
students, the paraprofessionals, and making them visible,
because it's the whole school.
Principal JL (11:23):
Yeah, you bet.
So really that principal role Iagree with that is where you
really how do you get everybodyto row the boat in the same
direction, how do you geteverybody to collaborate, work
together?
And that really comes from thetop to where.
If you have that value and youbelieve in that, that's going to
(11:44):
transpire down all the way intoyour students.
So people don't realize, andeven studies and research has
shown that that principalship isreally key to helping your
teachers learn and grow.
But everybody learn and grow,not just your teachers, but your
staff, your paraprofessionals,your custodians, everybody all
the way down to the students.
And so that's kind of the rolethat principalship really has.
(12:07):
But let's talk about nexttransitioning from being a
principal and you got intohigher education.
What was the reasoning for that?
What prompted you to go?
Hey, you know I really lovewhat I'm doing, but you know
what I want to take this nextstep into higher education,
educational coaching.
(12:28):
You know, does something.
Was that something you plannedor was that something that kind
of just naturally happened foryou?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (12:34):
It wasn't planned and it wasn't natural.
I had gone through some PD thatthe district wanted us to do.
One of the PDs was onCourageous Conversations with
Glenn Singleton and I thoughtthat was so powerful and I
(12:54):
thought how did he do that?
How is he able to speak infront of administrators and talk
about race?
Because when I sat in the roomI'm thinking, okay, I'm a female
and I'm a person of color, butthere was a lot of other people
(13:16):
that were white and for him tohave those conversations and
kind of make us realize our race, our ethnicity, I thought I
want to go back, I want tofigure out what, how he did that
, what did he study to be inthat position?
And I couldn't find a degree inthat.
(13:39):
But I then I looked at USF andUSF, the University of San
Francisco.
They had a multicultural,international and multicultural
education program and that'swhen I thought I want to study
that, because now I'm going tosee things internationally and
multiculturally and just beingmore sensitive.
(14:03):
And then that's where I thoughtI'm going to study that.
And then I want to teach thatat the university and I want to
be with the administrators so Icould teach them.
So that way it becomes part ofthe admin credential program and
then they can go back to theirschool and lead.
So that was where I wasthinking of that kind of picture
(14:25):
.
Principal JL (14:25):
Yeah.
So it sounds kind of like yousaw something there was a need
for and you're like you knowwhat.
That'd be really great if I canhelp that process, because I
see this person really puttingthemselves out there and talking
about these things that arevery important.
And how can I help?
You know, lead the charge inthat way, and so that's really
(14:48):
great and powerful that you knowyou were able to recognize that
, but then not just recognize itbut actually go and do it Right
.
Yeah, yeah.
So that's so.
Was that part of yourdissertation, your doctoral work
?
When you were going back anddoing that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (15:05):
It became so.
My doctoral work was titledFilipino American Educational
Leaders in Northern CaliforniaK-12 Public Schools Challenges
and Opportunities, because itbecame the awareness of where
(15:27):
are people that look like me?
I am not seeing anybody that'sFilipino.
I might see some Asians youknow the bigger race group but
where are the Filipinos?
And trying to find them asparticipants in my study, I only
had like six participants.
I couldn't find them, and sothat became a huge passion of
(15:49):
mine, and then it became anawareness of the learning of it
all.
Principal JL (15:57):
You bet.
So you know through that youhave been a lecturer, you have
been a dissertation chairthrough your time working in the
university, as well as auniversity supervisor.
Now tell me if I'm right onthese.
So the University of California, berkeley, the University of
San Francisco, the CaliforniaState University of East Bay is
(16:19):
that correct on that one?
Yes, did I get that one?
Okay.
So so, through theseexperiences, how were these
experiences in higher educationcomplement your work in K-12?
How did you know doing thatwork complement that work that
you previously did?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (16:38):
So now, as a university supervisor, I'm
working with teachers that arejust entering the profession,
trying to get their credentials,so it's inspiring them at the
same time guiding them in termsof all the credential
(17:00):
requirements to meet so that waythey can get hired.
So of course, we want goodeducators.
And how can I help?
It's all about how can I give,what can I give?
How can I help you knowbeginning teachers or people
going to you know into teaching?
How can I help administratorsaspire, help people aspire to
(17:21):
different positions in education?
So that was really huge for me.
And so, in terms of all thosedifferent roles dissertation
advisor, somebody had found meand said, hey, I'm doing
something on Filipino Americansand I don't have any Filipino
Americans where I live and theywere like in Wisconsin, I think,
and I felt great, this is aplatform that I'm familiar with.
(17:46):
I will be your dissertationadvisor.
So empowering her to do herdissertation and help her
navigate the doctoral program,that was a lot of fun.
But at the university level,all those different positions,
it all goes back to serving inthat servant leadership role and
just helping the pipeline ofeducators, Because not only do
(18:12):
we need teachers, we neededucational leaders.
Principal JL (18:17):
You bet, you bet, and that's kind of the overall
purpose of this podcast is totry to inspire that next
generation of educationalleaders and kind of give them
the ins and outs of what it'slike to be an educational leader
, because there's not a lot outthere for us and so, if anything
that we can do to inspire thenext generation because guess
(18:37):
what, education doesn't go awaywe're going to have generations
of education all the way down.
I know we're kind of in thatmoment of time where it's, you
know, being in education may notbe the most glamorous job, but
it's a very needed job and not alot of people are getting into
it for a lot of differentreasons.
I won't get into them, but itjust comes down to it's becoming
(18:59):
, like on my side, becomingharder and harder to get people
to, you know, apply and foropenings and like right now I
have an opening and I only havea couple of candidates and it's
kind of like, oh man, you usedto have like 20 for this, you
know, and now it's kind of justwhittled down.
But then that's where you gotto get creative on how you hire
(19:22):
and how you grow your own so youcan have a workforce to come
back.
So it sounds like you're kindof developing and growing that
workforce for education in thoseroles.
So let's talk about your book.
Step Up your School LeadershipGame.
You know what led you to writethe book.
(19:43):
Was there a defining moment?
What made you feel compelled towrite this book?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (19:52):
I felt, you know, that I needed a book when
I, when I went into educationnot just education, but as a
assistant principal there wereso many things that I didn't
know that I wish I would haveknown.
And trying to find books forbeginners or or aspiring people.
(20:13):
That's what inspired me towrite the book.
It's a mentor, it's a $25mentor, for the rest of your
life.
You can pull it out of theshelf and go what do I need to
do?
Or what was that advice thatwas given?
That's what inspired me,because I know that not
everybody goes back to schoolper se to get a doctorate or get
(20:39):
their master's, or they mightnot know the duties of an
administrator.
Sometimes, from a teacher'sperspective, they want to
separate themselves and they say, oh, you went to the dark side,
but it's really not the darkside.
It's like we're all in thistogether.
There is no dark side.
(20:59):
And to break that mindset ofthat and to say we're here
together, whether you're thecustodian, we're here.
We're here to support you.
That's what that book is about.
Principal JL (21:14):
Is for teachers, teachers, for administrators,
for people who don't know whatthey do, what we do it's it's
for them you know, it's reallyawesome that you have this book
for those aspiring administratoreven for the current
administrators that may are, youknow, curious, can they do
something better or to getbetter at something.
(21:36):
So it's really great that youhave something out there for
people to have.
So you know, with that book,what do you think is some of the
biggest takeaway that you wouldwant a new or aspiring
administrator to have you knowfrom that book when they read it
?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (21:53):
I think it's like the first section is
probably the key, which is knowyourself.
Know yourself as a leader.
There's activities.
I came up with a fruitleadership style chart where you
can identify your strengths asa leader.
And then there's also themultifaceted identity who are
(22:13):
you as a leader, who are youworking with?
And then there's also themultifaceted identity who are
you as a leader, who are youworking with?
And then building thatemotional intelligence with all
the different people you workwith.
And then knowing your corevalues, your non-negotiables and
the goals for the school.
So that's that first section.
Wherever you go, at least ifyou know how you are, and then
(22:36):
you can kind of assess okay,what's Jeff like?
What fruit style is he?
And then I would be able towork better with you based on
what you describe as your fruitleadership style or your
multifaceted identity.
You bet.
Principal JL (22:52):
Yeah, that's really powerful for people to
know is kind of know what theirstyle is, who they are, what do
they value.
Because, just like people,districts are different.
They have different alignments,they have different values,
they have different expectations.
And you got to make sure, yeah,you may want to go into
(23:12):
becoming an administrator orprincipal, but you have to make
sure that district you alignedwith that district.
Because if you get into adistrict you're not aligned with
, you won't enjoy it, it's notgoing to be a good time for you
because you're not going to havethe same values and you're not
going to have the same goalsthat you would if you knew who
(23:33):
you were and you knew how toalign yourself to that district.
And I think that's reallyimportant for people to really
understand that piece, becauseyou can go become a principal
somewhere, but make sure it'sthe right fit.
And when you get into that andyou do these interviews, you
just know like, yeah, thesethings check off, these things
(23:53):
work well.
I know I'm going to besuccessful here because of what
my values are aligned withtheirs and we're going to be
able to work together and tocreate that school environment
that you really want to achievewith that.
So that's what I hear you sayon that, and I think that's
really powerful for people toknow when it comes down to that.
(24:16):
I love how you said that too.
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (24:17):
Jeff, it's so important to know what the
district wants and if our valuesare aligned, and that is really
important.
Principal JL (24:27):
I know for me and my journey, when I did some
interviewing and stuff like that, if I got into a district and
we weren't aligned to it even ifthey would offer me the job I
knew I was saying no.
I knew that wasn't the place orjust because there wasn't
alignment If you don't havealignment, that's not going to
be beneficial for you, it's notgoing to be beneficial for that
(24:49):
district and your staff as well,and I think that's really
important to know when you'reout there seeking those jobs.
You got to know who you are soyou can align to that, and I
think that's really important toknow when you're out there
seeking those jobs.
You got to know who you are soyou can align to that.
So I think that's really reallyimportant for people to
understand.
I really want to highlight that.
So let's talk about your work alittle bit.
Equity and social justice arepart of the heart of your work.
How do you integratemulticultural competence and
(25:13):
emotional intelligence in theschool, leadership and coaching?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (25:17):
In the coaching.
I think what's really importantis knowing, or at least
exposing them to those differentareas If they're coming from an
affluent neighborhood andlooking at privileges and
(25:45):
looking at privileges or theymay be of privileged background
being aware of certain biases orunconscious biases, and
breaking down those barriers.
It's really important tounderstand, okay, multicultural
or multifaceted identities.
What does that look like?
When we say multifacetedidentities, it can be well.
What was our upbringing?
I'm a military brat and so Itraveled to different places.
I went to different schools inConnecticut and California and
(26:06):
the Philippines, so mybackground is a lot different,
even though I'm Filipino.
I have a lot of patriotism inthat sense.
So if I were to say, okay, whatdo I bring to the table, I
think by going back to you or tomy administrators or those that
I coach, I would also ask sotell me about yourself, what's
(26:29):
your multifaceted identity?
What's your background?
Does your background valueeducation?
Or it could be.
You know, some Asian culturesvalue wealth more than well.
In education, you have to be atthe top of the schools.
So what are our values?
(26:51):
And just breaking down thosebarriers is really important to
become aware of our biases, likeI was mentioning.
Principal JL (27:02):
I think one thing we kind of you are a military
brat.
I was in the military for eightyears as a reservist.
So that's kind of a uniquecoincidence, right.
I served eight years in theArmy Reserve.
I did a couple of deployments Idid one in El Salvador, did one
during the Iraqi war and duringfreedom operations.
So I got to see a lot ofdifferent cultures.
(27:24):
I got to see and experience alot of different types of people
around, not just the UnitedStates but the world, but the
world.
So when I got into education Iknew there was a bigger world
out there than what I grew up inNebraska.
And I also grew up in acommunity in Nebraska that a
huge Hispanic population.
So I grew up around you knowHispanic culture as well as the
(27:48):
culture that I grew up with inAmerica.
So you know you may thinkNebraska doesn't have diversity.
There's a lot more diversitythan people might give it credit
for.
So just my own.
You know history and myexperiences have really helped
me understand the differentcultural settings that other
people have.
(28:08):
You know spending time in theSouth.
You know in the South in theUnited States it's much
different than the Midwest oreven the Upper Northeast, and
you know every you know area ofthe United States has its own
like young culture really.
Yeah, but we're all togetherwhen it comes to being Americans
and I think understandingdifferent cultures and their
(28:31):
beliefs and how they view thingshelps you understand where
they're coming from.
And if you can understand wherethey're coming from, you can
really break down some barriersand be able to work together but
have an understanding of eachother's background.
And I think that's reallyimportant because, no matter if
(28:52):
you're in Nebraska, where I'm at, or in California, you're going
to see diversity across theboard, and being able to work
with different people fromdifferent backgrounds and
cultures is super importantbecause you got to be able to
understand them, they got to beable to understand you and you
got to be able to work togetherwhen it comes to making your
school the best it can be.
(29:13):
So I think that's reallyawesome that you know you kind
of.
That's kind of your work andwhat you're trying to do here.
And so, cynthia, your researchinterests range from school
climate to colonialism impact oneducation.
What are you currentlyexploring and what questions
(29:34):
keep you curious?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (29:36):
I think between the two, the two things
I could say about the schoolclimate and colonialism, those
in the spectrum I still look at.
Or still I'm curious about myidentity as a Filipino woman.
Or still I'm curious about myidentity as a Filipino woman, my
(29:59):
barriers, my own personalbarriers because of the cultural
expectations of being morequiet, listen to authority, but
if I'm the authority person orperson of authority, I need to
be able to have a voice, whereasin my culture we're not
supposed to have much of a voicebecause we're respecting, of
(30:21):
respecting other people, beingmore mindful of others and not
just always inserting my ownideas.
That's in the, in the culture.
And of course there's ahierarchy and so trying to break
down those hierarchy, ways ofcommunicating, to be an
effective leader and thenworking with as I'm seeing other
(30:43):
Filipino American educationalleaders go into the role, I see
them struggling with it andthey're new, and I just tell
them you got to break throughthat, even practice with me.
And they say how?
Because it's so ingrained inour culture to be not submissive
(31:03):
but just being more.
It is kind of being submissivewithout a voice and being able
to speak out, would you say morepassive?
Principal JL (31:14):
Is that a good term?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (31:19):
I wouldn't say necessarily passive.
They want harmony, and so theydon't want conflict, and so they
won't disagree.
They will agree for the sake ofharmony.
Principal JL (31:35):
I get you there, I get you.
So it sounds like you know,with leadership in this role
you're going to have conflictand it sounds like with your
background, in your culturalidentity, conflict is something
that you know in your culturedon't necessarily like and you
want to kind of just kind oflike, okay, let's kind of get
(31:57):
this problem solved real quickso I don't have to work through
that anymore.
So can you have a story thatkind of talks about how you had
a conflict and how thatchallenging of working through
that conflict because of yourcultural background, you know
how did you persevere throughthat?
Could you have a story thatkind of lines up to that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (32:20):
Yeah, sure, well, I can think of.
You know one story where I wasworking with an assistant
principal who was very dominant,very direct, yeah, very, very
direct.
So he was my counterpart and hewould say, cynthia, because I
need to know, I like it when youget mad, because you need to
have more direct with what youneed to say.
(32:40):
And I just thought, well, yes,I am, I am upset.
But at one point there was thistime where he, he stuck a note
in my mailbox and on the, on thepaper paper, he said you need
to communicate with me.
(33:00):
This is bullshit.
And I forgot what the story wasand what it was about.
But by getting that in mymailbox, I didn't want to
confront him.
I was so upset and angry totell him off.
So then I went to my boss, myprincipal, and I said you know,
(33:23):
jackie, look at what he wrote.
I go, I'm really, really upsetthat he wrote this memo in my
mailbox.
And she said well, you shouldtell him.
And I said tell him.
I'm thinking in my head butyou're my boss, you're my
hierarchy, I'm reporting it toyou so that you can address it
(33:46):
and not for me to address itbecause he's my equal.
And so I'm thinking of thehierarchy part and I'm reporting
it.
And she said no, cynthia, youknow, he needs to hear it from
you that you're upset.
And so all this was bubblinginside of me Like I don't want
to, I don't want to talk to him.
(34:06):
My stomach was feeling, youknow, like it don't, I don't
want to have this conversation.
Um, and he came looking for me.
By then it was, you know, threehours, four hours, since I've
seen the note.
And he said did you get my note?
And I said I did, because I wasthinking in my head how am I
going to address this?
(34:26):
And he said well, and I saidwell, and he goes.
Why didn't you talk to me?
Because I told you tocommunicate.
Well, and he goes.
Why didn't you talk to me?
Because I told you tocommunicate.
I said well because, rich, one,just the tone of your memo.
And two, I'm not going torespond to you when you use
profanity like that.
(34:47):
You know, if you need to talkto me, then you come.
You know, see me and be civilabout it.
He said that's good, you know,tell me, you know you need to be
, you know, say it, just likethat.
And I said okay, and by afterhaving that, the guts to say
what I needed to say, then Ithought, okay, he's now giving
(35:09):
me permission to be direct,which actually helped me grow as
a leader.
So then I would start kind oflike inserting my just to push
buttons Okay, now I can disagree.
And my principal said, cynthia,we can agree to disagree.
(35:29):
And I thought in my head I'venever heard that before, I've
never heard that comment we canagree to disagree.
And so then I would turn thaton Rich and say Rich, we can
agree to disagree.
That's a huge step to know thatwe don't have to always get
along in that way or have toagree on things.
Principal JL (35:50):
And I think really that story sounds like to me is
something you could take withyou and utilize into your
principalship, because, as aprincipal, we want to be able to
empower our staff to have thoseadult conversations.
Because, as a principal, ifwe're fixing our staff's
problems all the time, we ain'tgoing to get anything done that
(36:12):
we need to get done as well.
So you know, to me that's reallyan empowering story that helped
, empowered you, um, throughthat word.
Did that help you empower otherpeople?
Um, through that lesson thatyou had, so did that teach you
how to empower other people todo the same thing for for
themselves?
I think so.
(36:33):
Um, because I would tell peoplethe same thing it's okay to
disagree, we can agree todisagree.
Of a parent coming in to youknow, appeal a suspension.
We can agree to disagree.
Um, otherwise I would havebacktracked my suspension and
(36:55):
said, okay, maybe I'll just dodetention instead.
No, it's okay, if you want toappeal it, there's a process as
well.
So, whether it's a parent or ateacher staff member, that was
for me to do that, but at thesame time, I would tell other
people to do that as well.
You know, you can disagree withyour department, you don't
(37:16):
always have to agree.
You go oh, I have work this time, I'm going to do
it again.
So I think, being able to standyour ground on things, you just
(37:38):
got to be able to do thatwithin that role in educational
leadership.
And so I really thank you forthat story, because that really
is something that is reallyimpactful for other people to
know and learn that you may notagree with everything but it's
OK, like that's where the agreeto disagree philosophy comes in,
and I thank you for sharingthat story.
So you've been honored withsome incredible recognitions.
(38:02):
You've been named one of the100 most influential Filipino
women in the US.
With that acknowledgement, whatdoes that mean personally and
professionally to you With that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (38:17):
particular award, being, you know, one of
the top 100 Filipinas.
Of course, that means a lot tome in a personal level because
it honors my background.
My parents were able to attendthe award ceremony to validate
them all their struggles ofimmigrating from the Philippines
(38:41):
, my dad joining the Navy, thelife that he led in that role,
in that career, so that wasreally meaningful for me
personally and thenprofessionally, just being able
to say okay, I think you knowthere's some credibility here
with, you know, having a voice,having a platform, I'm a leader,
(39:04):
I'm a true leader and I don'thave to be such a dominant
person.
I can still be my caring selfand but use my voice, use my, my
space to educate others and andbe that, that person that's
helping everybody.
Principal JL (39:23):
You bet.
So outside of your professionallife, you enjoy music, skating,
making handcraft, jewelry, andhow do you balance?
You know, your work life, yourhobbies and your work life.
How do you balance that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (39:39):
Well, nowadays, I think it's really
important to know those wherethe big rocks are.
The big rocks you know,whatever those rocks are you
know, put them on your calendar.
So if exercise is important,put it on your calendar, or put
it on my calendar.
Going dancing, I'm going to doit.
Play the piano, let's put in anhour into the calendar, and
(40:05):
that's pretty much.
The main thing is making timefor a real life, because our
work is going to be there as weright.
Our work is 24 7 and if wedon't unplug, then time is
passing by.
And how are we taking care ofour own health?
How are we?
(40:25):
How are we restoring our ownenergy?
So I think that's reallyimportant to be reflective of
that and taking the time to dosome kind of reflection.
So, like I say, if it's music,music just takes me away into
another dimension where I'mpresent.
(40:45):
With the music, I'm singing thelyrics, I don't have time to
think of worries because I'mpresent.
So, I think, making sure thatthere's time for that and then,
if there's time for reflectionso if I'm making jewelry, I'm
sitting quietly but I'm able toreflect and be I think people
(41:06):
get the same kind of feelingwhen they're cooking in the
kitchen where they're feelingokay.
I'm in this mode, I'm present,but I'm thinking so, making sure
there's relaxation andreflection time.
Principal JL (41:20):
Those are all really great tips.
I really like the idea ofputting it on your calendar,
making time, holding that space.
So you do do those thingsbecause, like for me, if I don't
write it down or put it onsomething to where I remember,
I'll forget about it.
So I think that's a reallygreat piece of advice to hey
make time for the things thatare important and then, when you
(41:42):
are doing those things, stay inpresent, you know, with those
things especially, you know ifyou have a family or things like
that be present with them andleave that work in the rear view
mirror, because it's going tobe there when you get back.
And so don't think you got toget everything done in one day,
because your job's never done.
You're always got something todo and you're always got
(42:04):
something to pick up when youget back into that mode when you
get there.
But so when you're out of that,make sure you're present with
the things that bring you joy,things that help you bring that
balance to your work, so you cango in refreshed and renewed and
not you know, stressed outbecause you're worrying about
everything else from the daybefore.
(42:26):
So I really love that advicethat you gave there as well.
Is there anything in educationthat gives you hope for the
future?
Is there?
What hope do you have for thefuture of education?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (42:40):
I think just the kids.
They give me the hope.
I mean we see the little kidsand we see whether they're
elementary kids or they'remiddle school, high school kids.
They're kids and there'sinnocence with that and there's
the love of learning and I thinkthose that go into education we
(43:03):
are nurturing.
We want our kids to learn adifferent group of people who
really care about our future andgenerations of that.
So I mean we lead by example.
So whether we're reading booksor we're reading books to them
(43:25):
and they're reading, you knowbooks to others.
Principal JL (43:45):
It's a nice cycle, and so that's what gives me,
you know, the wonderful hope ofpiece of advice that you can
give to the school leaders outthere that are listening to this
podcast right now.
What would that advice be?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (44:01):
I would say don't wait to be tapped on the
shoulder.
You might not know everything,you might not know what the next
role is going to be, but noteverybody's going to tap you on
the shoulder to go into the nextcareer ladder and to find
mentors.
Find mentors, ask them.
(44:22):
You know, will you be my mentor, jeff?
I don't know what it's like tobe a principal, but I really
want to be a principal, or maybeI don't want to be a principal.
Or can you teach me some of thethings that you do?
Or can I shadow you?
Any of those can be ideas and,at the same time, as educational
(44:43):
leaders, we need to beresponsible too, to have people
and not just always pick theones that are the most active,
because it could be also thequiet ones that will grow from
it.
So, again, the mentoring,supporting each other.
There was one more, not just oh, and networking.
(45:07):
It's so important to network,and so I think this podcast that
you have I mean it's reachingso many people that are going
into educational leadership theability to network in this kind
of group, as well as joinorganizations, just like in your
(45:30):
state, my state.
Find the organizations thatrepresent administrators, join
the national one.
Get on the board because youcan go to these events, but then
if you can serve on the board,it's even bigger of a network.
So that's what my advice wouldbe is to do those Network, join
(45:53):
organizations, find mentors,support each other and don't
don't wait to be tapped.
Principal JL (45:58):
Those are all great pieces of advice there,
cynthia, and I agree, like youknow, for me, you know, yes, I
had someone in my life thatencouraged me because I had no
you know, no desire to be aprincipal, but it wasn't until I
started reflecting, like maybeI can do this.
But I really love the fact aboutnetworking, getting with your
(46:22):
state, your local, your regionalorganizations as well, because
that's going to give you morepeople to connect with that are
on the same journey as you are,because when we get into these
principal ships, we will be indistricts where we might be the
only principal, we might be theonly administrator, and so we
(46:43):
need other people to stayconnected.
And that's also a good reasonfor my podcast is to try to
connect with other educationalleaders and help them so they
don't feel isolated.
They have something they can goto and go.
Hey, what did Cynthia talkabout?
I'd really love to hear thatepisode again and have that
there.
(47:04):
And so, cynthia, if peoplewanted to reach out and get in
touch with you, how could theydo that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (47:09):
with you.
Principal JL (47:10):
How could they do that?
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (47:10):
They can go to my LinkedIn site, Cynthia
Rapaido.
They can also email me crapaidoat gmailcom.
But those are the two main ones.
And then I also have my book.
That has the information inthere, too, that they could find
me as a mentor if they needsome kind of direction.
Principal JL (47:33):
And what I'll do, Cynthia, is I'll have all that
information in the show notesfor this episode so people can
easily find that when theyscroll down and they can click
on those things.
So we'll have all that therefor them.
So I really appreciate youcoming on the show today.
It was really great to have youand there's a lot of great
insights today.
(47:53):
So thank you, Cynthia, forbeing here today.
Dr. Cynthia Rapaido (47:57):
Thank you too, jeff.
This was a wonderful episodethat you did with me, so thank
you so much.
Take care, jeff.
Principal JL (48:05):
Wow, what a great conversation with Dr Cynthia
Rapaido.
I am thankful for her sharingincredible insights on our
leadership, mentorship andbuilding inclusive school
communities.
Her passion for empoweringeducators and shaping the next
generation of leaders trulyshines through.
If you would like to learn moreabout her work, be sure to
(48:27):
check out her new book Step Upyour School Leadership Game.
I hope you enjoyed this episodeas much as I did.
It's an absolute honor havingDr Cynthia Rapaido on the
podcast.
Until next time, remember to be1% better.
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