It’s funny, growing up I when to U-46 schools, I never imagined I’d work here, But life is crazy that way.
I always loved science. In college, I did biological sciences because I liked it, but had no idea what I’d do with a science degree. One year, I happened to take a math methods class & learned how math actually worked - the theories & algorithms. I wasn’t always a good student, but I was always good at math. For some reason it came to me naturally. Learning the foundation really opened my mind. I decided I wanted to be a teacher.
I taught at an elementary school for a few years until one year there were budget cuts. It was August & I hadn’t gotten called back. I was worried about what I was going to do when I got a call from the principal at a local middle school. He asked if I’d be interested in teaching a science class. I really needed the job so I said yes, but after hanging up I cried. I was so nervous about teaching middle school!
The first year was rough, but I never looked back. I taught at Canton for 2 years & Eastview for 12. I absolutely loved the astronomy unit. My favorite thing was to have the kids do a star log. I’d create a night sky in my classroom, adding a new constellation each day. We’d start with the Big Dipper. I’d teach them how to find that first & then you could find the other constellations from there. At night the kids would go out in their own backyards to see if they could find it themselves. They would always come in the next day so excited to share their success.
One year there were a group of kids having a harder time, so to help them, I started a group where we’d meet off Munger Road to look at the stars. They would come with their parents & I’d help them find the constellations.
That eventually turned into star parties on the football field for 150 kids. Dads would bring their telescopes, brothers & sisters would come, kids from other classes came too. I’d get the school to turn off the parking lot lights to make it dark & we would all look for stars. The next evolution was at the Bartlett Nature Center. It was darker & there kids could have a bathroom available. It was a blast.
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A job at the Planetarium was not on my radar. There had been a plan to tear the building down in the 1960s, but then someone had the idea to give it to the district. Don Tuttle, an astronomer, was the first director. He was the one who applied for a grant, which allowed us to get a planetarium (the theater where we can project the stars & planets). That has been a great addition for the district. Over a million kids have come thru the Planetarium & Observatory.
When an opening came up at the Planetarium, I was asked to apply. Turned out I got the job. When I started here I had some knowledge, but I felt I needed to learn so much more. All the books here; I read them. One that was really helpful was “Space Exploration for Dummies”. Ha! There are so many things to learn related to stars & the movement of the earth & also so much to learn about running a planetarium. How do you order supplies? How do you do a community night? How do you find a person to fix the HVAC?
During my first week on the job, the previous director left suddenly due to a falling out with the district. I was on my own by the next week. I didn’t even know how to run the slide projectors & classes started in 2 weeks. After taking a moment to panic, I pulled out the original 1963 manual & set to figured it out. Luckily Mark Koonz & a previous students’ father, who was an electrician at Fermi Lab & had brought his telescope to the star parties, would graciously come over & help me align the planets & figure out how to change the projector’s tiny lightbulbs. It’s been quite the adventure!
It’s been a wonderful experience helping students, teachers, the general public learn more about space. Here, I can make astronomy observational & open for everyone to have some understanding, it’s not just a scary math class. A background driver for me has always been making math & science accessible. I never considered myself someone who was smart enough to have a job in the sciences, but here I am. Even for someone who wouldn't call themselves a science person, I love to show them how they really can understand & if they want to, they can actually make a career out of it. There have been success stories of kids coming thru the Planetarium who’ve gone on the work for NASA & made careers for themselves. I absolutely believe kids can do it with a little help & understanding of what’s possible.
Favorite place to look at stars: Where I first learned it, my backyard.
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Peggy Hernandez was the director of the U46 Planetarium & Observatory on Watch Street for the past 15 years. She retired last April.
She was named one of Kane County’s 2024 Educators Of The Year for Elementary/Early Childhood.