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Across the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the expression ““six-seven” during instruction in the most recent internet-inspired trend to take over classrooms.

While some educators have decided to patiently overlook the phenomenon, different educators have embraced it. Five educators explain how they’re coping.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Earlier in September, I had been addressing my eleventh grade class about preparing for their GCSE exams in June. I don’t recall specifically what it was in connection with, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re working to marks six, seven …” and the entire group erupted in laughter. It took me entirely unexpectedly.

My immediate assumption was that I might have delivered an reference to something rude, or that they’d heard a quality in my speech pattern that appeared amusing. A bit exasperated – but truly interested and aware that they weren’t hurtful – I asked them to clarify. Honestly, the description they then gave didn’t provide much difference – I remained with no idea.

What could have rendered it particularly humorous was the evaluating movement I had executed while speaking. I later discovered that this often accompanies ““67”: I had intended it to help convey the action of me speaking my mind.

To kill it off I aim to mention it as frequently as I can. Nothing diminishes a craze like this more thoroughly than an teacher striving to get involved.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Knowing about it helps so that you can prevent just accidentally making comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 thousand jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. If the numerical sequence is inevitable, having a firm school behaviour policy and expectations on pupil behavior proves beneficial, as you can deal with it as you would any different disruption, but I haven’t actually had to do that. Guidelines are one thing, but if students buy into what the learning environment is doing, they will become more focused by the online trends (at least in instructional hours).

Regarding sixseven, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, other than for an occasional quizzical look and commenting ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. If you give oxygen to it, it transforms into an inferno. I treat it in the identical manner I would manage any other disruption.

Earlier occurred the 9 + 10 = 21 phenomenon a previous period, and undoubtedly there will emerge a new phenomenon following this. This is typical youth activity. During my own youth, it was imitating Kevin and Perry impressions (honestly out of the classroom).

Young people are spontaneous, and I think it’s an adult’s job to behave in a manner that steers them in the direction of the course that will help them where they need to go, which, hopefully, is graduating with qualifications instead of a disciplinary record a mile long for the use of random numbers.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

The children use it like a bonding chant in the recreation area: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to demonstrate they belong to the same group. It’s like a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they possess. I don’t think it has any distinct meaning to them; they just know it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they want to feel part of it.

It’s banned in my classroom, nevertheless – it triggers a reminder if they call it out – just like any other calling out is. It’s notably tricky in numeracy instruction. But my class at year 5 are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re relatively accepting of the rules, while I recognize that at secondary [school] it could be a separate situation.

I have served as a instructor for fifteen years, and such trends last for three or four weeks. This craze will die out soon – this consistently happens, notably once their little brothers and sisters commence repeating it and it stops being fashionable. Subsequently they will be engaged with the subsequent trend.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I began observing it in August, while instructing in English at a international school. It was primarily boys repeating it. I educated ages 12 to 18 and it was common among the junior students. I was unaware its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I understood it was just a meme similar to when I attended classes.

Such phenomena are continuously evolving. “Skibidi toilet” was a popular meme at the time when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t particularly occur as often in the learning environment. In contrast to “six-seven”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the chalkboard in lessons, so students were less able to pick up on it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, striving to empathise with them and recognize that it’s merely pop culture. I believe they just want to experience that feeling of community and friendship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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