Pam Black didn’t know she was planting a seed the day she switched her major from math to elementary education at Millersville University. What began as a practical choice, shifting away from a combined math-computer science track that didn’t feel like the right fit, would grow into a career spanning nearly two decades, shaping generations of Lancaster’s youngest learners. But perhaps more remarkably, it would become the foundation for a multigenerational journey: one that brought her daughter Jillian into the same district, the same profession, and into a shared mission that now links Pre-K and middle school classrooms in a very special way.
Pam and Jillian Black aren’t just teachers at the School District of Lancaster. They’re co-creators of the “Big, Big Buddy Program,” an innovative and heartwarming initiative that brings together 4-year-olds and 6th graders to co-author original children’s books and in doing so, builds confidence and joy in students on both ends of the educational journey.
And for this mother-daughter teaching team, there’s no better time to tell their story than on Mother’s Day.
From Bedford County to the heart of Lancaster
Pam’s teaching career didn’t start in a traditional classroom. After graduating from Millersville, she began her career in early childhood education as a group supervisor at a child care center in Shermansdale, near Harrisburg. When she moved to Lancaster after getting married, she continued in child care, eventually becoming a center director at a program housed in Grace Lutheran Church. It was there that she was first connected to SDoL, as the district explored launching Pre-K Counts classrooms in collaboration with local providers.
Pam was hired as one of the district’s first Pre-K Counts teachers, helping pioneer what has become a crucial part of SDoL’s early learning efforts. Her journey included stints in temporary leased spaces, older facilities, and eventually permanent classrooms in schools like E.R. Martin and Smith-Wade-El Elementary, where she now teaches. While the locations and logistics have changed, her approach hasn’t: create a safe, nurturing space for young children, meet them where they are, and offer structure, consistency, and love.
“You never know what they’re walking in with,” Pam says. “Some are coming from difficult home situations. You have to love on them first. Then you can teach them.”
She’s weathered more than a few challenges, but she has also seen the difference that a single teacher can make in a child’s life.
Following in her footsteps, one intern day at a time
Jillian Black never set out to be a teacher. As a student at Hempfield High School, she dreamed of becoming a marine biologist until she realized she didn’t like water. When a career aptitude test listed nearly every type of teacher as a match, she decided to lean into the signs.
It helped that she had a living example in her mom. Jillian interned in Pam’s classroom as a high school junior, spent time supporting her mom’s colleagues, and got a hands-on view of what teaching looked like beyond the textbooks. That direct exposure gave her clarity: this was where she belonged.
She enrolled at Bloomsburg University and earned her degree in early childhood and special education in just three years, student-teaching virtually during the pandemic. Though the path wasn’t easy navigating uncertain job prospects, floating as a long-term sub in districts like Hempfield and Warwickm Jillian kept going, often leaning on Pam and her father, now the assistant principal at E.R. Martin, for guidance.
She landed at Wheatland Middle School in 2022 as a sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher. Just months into her first full year, she launched a program that would bridge the gap between early learners and middle schoolers and bring her and her mother into creative partnership.
The Big, Big Buddy Program: where stories and relationships begin
The idea came from a moment Jillian had while subbing at Lincoln Middle School. A collaborative project between a Pre-K class and middle schoolers sparked something in her. When she joined Wheatland, she remembered how powerful that experience was and realized she had all the ingredients to recreate it.
She brought the idea to Pam. They brainstormed. They planned. They adapted.
Now in its second year, the “Big, Big Buddy Program” pairs Jillian’s sixth-grade students with Pam’s Pre-K learners for a weeks-long creative writing partnership. Together, each pair writes and illustrates a story based on a chosen theme. Last year, it was transportation; this year, the alphabet and animals.
What makes the program extraordinary isn’t just the final product (professionally published softcover books that students get to keep), but the process.
Every week or two, the sixth graders walk to Smith-Wade-El to meet their little buddies. They sit side by side, read books together, draw animals, brainstorm ideas, and co-author stories. The middle schoolers learn how to be leaders, guides, and role models. The preschoolers learn how to express themselves, collaborate, and build connections with older peers.
“There’s something really special about seeing a 12-year-old read to a 4-year-old in a silly voice,” Jillian says. “It reminds them they can be both kids and mentors at the same time.”
For Pam, it’s also a real-time demonstration of social-emotional learning. “They’re learning how to interact, how to listen, how to be patient,” she says. “These are skills that go beyond the classroom.”
And yes, it’s organized chaos. With over 40 kids in a room, iPads open to reference photos, coloring supplies everywhere, and quiet chatter filling the air it’s a buzz of creativity that’s purposeful, joyful, and real.
Through a combination of district support and Pre-K Counts funding, every student involved receives a printed copy of their book. The teachers receive hardcovers. The books feature dual authorship: artwork and sentences tailored for the Pre-K students, and longer, more advanced creative writing for the sixth graders. And the smiles when they see their name in print? Priceless.
A family of educators and a legacy that’s just beginning
This initiative is a family effort. Pam’s husband, recently hired as assistant principal at E.R. Martin, supports from across the district. Her youngest daughter, initially determined not to go into education, now teaches as an adjunct professor at Lancaster Bible College. Education, it seems, runs deep in this family.
“We never pushed our kids to go into teaching,” Pam says. “They found their way here on their own. And now that we’re here together, it’s the greatest gift.”
Jillian agrees. “To get to call her not just Mom, but Mrs. Black, and see her do what she’s amazing at, it’s so inspiring. I’ve learned so much from her. She’s still my role model.”
They talk every day. They collaborate. They reflect. They troubleshoot. And sometimes, they just call each other to debrief the day.
“We think alike,” Pam says. “It’s nice to have someone who gets it, on the same schedule, working with the same families.”
For Jillian, the experience has been a soft landing during her early years in teaching. “Wheatland feels like family. I’ve never been more supported in my life than I have here.”
Looking ahead: a program with districtwide potential
Pam and Jillian hope to expand the Big, Big Buddy Program. More teachers at Wheatland have shown interest. A second Pre-K room at Smith-Wade-El could help accommodate additional classes. With more planning and support, it’s easy to imagine a version of this project reaching other schools.
They’ve even started dreaming about future enhancements, pen pals, Teams video introductions before the first in-person meeting, themed readings with special guests. Last week, a guest reader came in to celebrate the book launch. Next week, the sixth graders will return to Pam’s classroom for a reading celebration with their buddies.
“The kids are so proud of themselves,” Jillian says. “They see themselves as authors. That’s powerful.”
And while the program grows, so does the bond between this mother and daughter: teachers, colleagues, co-creators.
When asked what it’s like to work with her mom, Jillian doesn’t hesitate. “There are no words to express how incredible it is. She’s the most patient, organized, brilliant woman I know. And I get to learn from her every day.”
Pam, with tears in her eyes, responds: “I know she’s supposed to be grown now, flying on her own. But if I can still be that soft landing place when she needs it, and keep lifting her up? That’s a blessing I never take for granted.”
This is the story of Pam and Jillian Black. This is the story of the Big, Big Buddy Program. But more than anything, this is the story of what happens when education becomes a family affair, and love finds its way into every page.
Happy Mother’s Day from the School District of Lancaster.
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