Mr. Rioux Shaping Education In Music

 WHS teacher Mr. Rioux has a different teaching style than most teachers, students in Mr. Rioux’s class are responsible for their own actions.

​Mr. Rioux is a choir teacher with a different perspective on discipline.  He says that he “likes to have students think more like adults” by not punishing them, but instead having them “think about what they did.”  This teaching style gives students the opportunity to analyze their behavior and to work to improve it.

Mr. Rioux has been teaching at WHS for 16 years and 30 years in education overall. He started in Glastonbury at the high school and elementary school. He was inspired to start teaching music by his elementary school teacher, Mrs. Lee Dellert. He says that he “loved going to class.”

The effect that this teaching style can have on classes and the future of students would have students think more independently on how to act.
“Kids rock” is what Mr. Rioux says about teaching. He tries to use humor instead of discipline because he says they won't learn as much from punishing. He tries to solve the problem for both him and the student while using respect. Mr. Rioux says that “If I am doing the discipline, then it is useless”.