The English Education Undergraduate and Graduate Programs presented the First National Seminar and Alumni Gathering (Semnasta) last Saturday, May 23, 2015. About 140 people, including presenters and participants, attended the seminar which was held at Aula K of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education the University of Lampung.
The theme of the seminar was Promoting Professionalism in Strengthening Teachers’ Character. This event served as a place to present researches on English and its teaching, a place to exchange research findings and scientific works on English, a place of discussion among English Education Alumni, and an annual reunion for former students (alumni).
Throughout the entire plenary session, keynote speakers including Siti Wachidah, Ph.D from Jakarta State University, Drs. Antoni Iswantoro, M.Ed. from the State Islamic High School Sukarame, and Prof. Ag. Bambang Setiadi, Ph.D. from the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education the University of Lampung put much attention on education system in Indonesia and the importance of professional teachers with characters. Hery Yufrizal, Ph.D, one of English lecturers of the English Education, was appointed by the Chairman of the Organizing Committee to lead this session as a moderator.
“The main duty of a teacher is not just teaching, but educating. A teacher is a person who stands in front of the classroom with a lesson plan and earns a living from the government, while an educator is a person who seriously educates students whole-heartedly by looking at the needs of the students”, said Wachidah.
Setiadi agreed on Wachidah’s statement. He further said that a good teacher is an educator whose presence is always awaited by students; while her/his absence makes students disappointed. “A teacher should be able to make students learn through appropriate methods and techniques”, he added.
Meanwhile, Iswantoro said that a teacher should be brave and innovative. “We, sometimes, need to be abnormal. It means that a teacher has to make a brave decision in every single innovation needed to match the needs of the students”, said Iswantoro.
[GEP]
