A school can’t run without its “mothers.” They’re the women who pick up the ever-ringing phone with the school’s name on their lips. You’ll find them banging away at the computer inputting endless names and data. They arrange buses for trips money for projects booklets for events — all of the things that allow a school to run smoothly. But they also provide bandages for bruised knees a listening ear to crushed little people and guidance to struggling parents. They’re known as schools secretaries. In my school we called her “Mama Devorah.”

“Secretaries are the unsung heroes of the school” says Batsheva Berman* a grateful mother. “Sure they photocopy stencils order supplies and coordinate schedules. But they also have bread on their desk for girls who forgot their lunch and a stash of ponytail holders to replace the girls’ snapped ones. When my daughter isn’t feeling well and they can’t reach me right me away they take care of her. And whenever I have a crucial message to give my daughter they’re the ones who track her down and make sure she gets it. They’re the mother hens of the school working hard behind the scenes.”