A member of the Montessori Administrators Association, Kathy Minardi joined the Aidan Montessori School, accredited by the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools and Association Montessori Internationale, in 1999. Kathy Minardi serves as the head of school and oversees the development of approximately 200 students. She holds expertise in family systems theory, emotional intelligence and organizational systems learning and thinking in carrying out her responsibilities.
A science of human nature and interdependent relationships, the Bowen family systems theory was developed by psychiatrist Dr. Murray Bowen at Georgetown University and NIH. The theory involves the interlocking of eight fundamental principles: differentiation of self, triangles, nuclear family emotional process, family projection process, emotional cutoff, multigenerational transmission process, sibling position, and societal emotional process. Each principle contributes to how a family interacts and carries out responsibilities under the same “emotional skin.”
The theory explains how emotional stress can impact a family unit, prohibiting the individual’s ability to protect, feed, and shelter family members. In addition, it shows how anxiety can spread like an illness from one family member to another, a phenomena easily replicated in a school family system where emotional anxiety can spread. Understanding how all these elements intertwine offers better insight for Bowen family systems theory students to develop effective solutions for overcoming each emotionally driven obstacle. Leadership in this context is an understanding of how to balance societal anxiety with ways to create healthy community among the staff and the parents. Schools are places where we have a chance to build healthy community as models for children to experience growing up.
Kathy Minardi 