What does a thriving marriage have to do with running a Catholic school? More than you might think! In this episode, Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez draws on the landmark relationship research of John Gottman to offer Catholic school leaders a practical, mission-rooted framework for building deep, lasting partnerships with the families they serve.

The Seven Principles:

* Create Shared Meaning

* Get to Know Your Families

* Nurture Your Appreciation

* Turn Toward Each Other Instead of Away

* Let Your Families Influence You

* Solve Your Solvable Problems

* Welcome Problem Solving

What We Cover:

* Why John Gottman’s marriage research is one of the most powerful lenses available for understanding school-family dynamics

* The four pillars of shared meaning and how rituals, roles, goals, and values translate directly into school community life

* How to build habits of appreciation that counteract criticism and contempt before they take root

* Practical strategies for turning toward families, even across the asynchronous gap of newsletters, emails, and drop-off lines

* How to distinguish solvable problems from perpetual conflicts and approach both with mission-grounded wisdom

Q&A:

* How do we avoid falling into defensiveness when a parent comes to us already upset or critical?

* If a parent rarely responds to communication, how should we interpret that? And what do we do?

* Advice for new teachers who are nervous about dealing with parents

* What are small ways teachers can show appreciation to parents without it becoming another big task?

Chapters:

* 00:02: Welcome and Introduction

* 02:20: Why Gottman’s Marriage Research Applies to Schools

* 07:08: Principle 1: Create Shared Meaning

* 11:44: Principle 2: Get to Know Your Families

* 16:29: Principle 3: Nurture Your Appreciation

* 21:14: Principle 4: Turn Toward Each Other

* 30:44: Principle 5: Let Your Families Influence You

* 35:08: Principle 6: Solve Your Solvable Problems

* 41:29: Principle 7: Welcome Problem Solving

* 48:31: Listener Q&A

Resources Mentioned:

* Gottman Institute

* The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert by John M. Gottman, PhD and Nan Silver — (Amazon | Bookshop | Abe Books)

* Join the conversation: leave a comment and subscribe: familiaris.substack.com

* Get in touch: [email protected] or reply to the newsletter to submit a question for a future Q&A segment

* Visit familiaris-consulting.com to learn more about consulting services and schedule a free consultation with Jaime

God bless!

Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios

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