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7 Principles for Making School-Family Relationships Work

Familiaris Podcast for Catholic School Leaders

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: hello@familiaris-consulting.com 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 Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe