Life is all about experience, and Allen Community College’s Walter Regehr has plenty of experience to go around.

With a master’s degree in mathematics and after a 22-year career in the United States Air Force, Regehr proceeded to undertake a 19-year career as an instructor.

A 22-year career in any field is bound to have an effect on the individual. Skills and habits are picked up that are applied in the everyday life.  The Air Force is one such career that has many transferable skills and habits, according to Regehr.

“You try to be orderly, I guess,” said Regehr. “You do things in a more rational, systematic approach. You think about what’s going on and (you’re) aware of the world around you. Those kind of things.”

Being an alumni of the college, Regehr felt that it would be nice to instruct at the establishment in which he was once instructed .

“I started out down at Neosho, and I worked at Neosho Community College for three years. Then I got a chance for an interview for a position that they were starting, and that’s how I got to Allen,” said Regehr

After 19 years of working with countless students, Regehr has a plethora of tips and tricks for the aspiring instructor.

“Keep a stiff upper lip,” laughed Regehr. “Be prepared for change, always. Things don’t always work out well, but you stay at it and make it better.”

Regehr followed up with potential hurdles that will be experienced by any instructor.

“Students not always learning or working the way you would like them to work,” Regehr noted as a hurdle. “Things not always going your way and wondering if it’s you as opposed to the way you’re conducting your instruction. You may think you have to change down the road.”

These obstacles may deter weaker willed instructors, but Regehr insists to persevere.

Nineteen years makes for a lot of graded papers, yet an instructor often doesn’t have the chance to grade his or her own performance. Regehr, when asked to grade his career as an instructor, answered humbly.

“I would hope that I’d be at the B+ or A- level. I would not think that I was at the A or the A+, simply because that’s the military training in me,” said Regehr. “We were always told that we’re never perfect and that there was always room for improvement. So I’ve carried that with me, even in this environment.”