PEGGY HERNANDEZ, PLANETARIUM DIRECTOR
What are some of your daily work responsibilities?
I plan and present Boy and Girl Scout and Public Evening Programs. I also present astronomy programs to classes.
How long have you worked for U-46?
Thirty years.
What is it like to work for the District where you attended school and from which you graduated and what does it mean to you?
I enjoy knowing the community well, not only the people, but the history. I have been running into students at public places for years. I am happy to know and agree with people who tell me, "Oh, you're the new Mr. Tuttle."
Which U-46 schools did you attend?
Laurel Hill Elementary School, Tefft Middle School, and Streamwood High School.
What year did you graduate from high school?
1984.
What was your favorite subject and why?
Science, it was the class where we could actually DO stuff and use math.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Dr. Block at Laurel Hill. He allowed me to push myself by offering opportunities I couldn't pass up, that I might have resisted had I been told I had to. At the time I proclaimed I didn't like him, but I did feel safe in his class and boy, did I learn a lot! I still remember dissecting a cow's eye in fifth grade.
Please share a favorite memory from your time as a student in U-46.
Going to a gigantic bonfire near the Streamwood High School water tower for homecoming weekend and riding a horse in the homecoming parade down Bartlett Road, then cantering around the SHS property.
Please share a favorite memory of working in U-46.
Hosting star parties at Eastview Middle School on the football field. At first it was just my students and parents looking to do star journal entries with me at night. Then they would come with other eighth graders, then lots of seventh graders started showing up. Parents brought telescopes and brand new (at the time) GPS detectors to test and play with. It got so big we moved it to Tri County Park with the help of Dan Mitchell. It was fun to look at constellations with so many people.
Briefly describe your post-secondary college and/or career experience.
I earned a Master's Degree in Teaching and Leadership in 1997, became National Board Certified in Early Adolescent Science in 2005 and 2015. I went to Space Camp for Teachers in 2014. What a blast! I am currently the Education Chair for the Great Lakes Planetarium Association.
What important life or academic lesson did you learn in U-46?
According to my family, I cried a lot as a toddler/preschooler, way more than normal. I was scared to go to Kindergarten. I refused to do the required vision test. I remember crying then. I was scared of all those people! My siblings told me the teacher was strict and I heard her referred to as mean! However, once we got into a routine, I realized school was fun. It wasn't hard or scary at all. I loved the play kitchen area. I didn't cry. I followed directions and did the tasks she gave us. I learned to go ahead and try even if you're nervous. I had a great year. She was strict, but I liked the predictability and order. I learned that you won't really know what you can do or will like to do until you actually try it. Even if you are nervous.
Do you have children attending U-46 schools? If so, which schools?
In college now, but one went to Laurel Hill and Ontarioville Elementary School.
