‘Sometimes you’ve got to chuckle’: a quintet of UK educators on coping with ‘‘sixseven’ in the classroom

Across the UK, learners have been shouting out the phrase ““67” during classes in the newest meme-based trend to take over educational institutions.

Although some educators have opted to calmly disregard the phenomenon, some have embraced it. Five educators describe how they’re managing.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

During September, I had been addressing my year 11 class about getting ready for their secondary school examinations in June. It escapes me specifically what it was in connection with, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re aiming for results six, seven …” and the complete classroom burst out laughing. It surprised me completely by surprise.

My immediate assumption was that I’d made an allusion to something rude, or that they detected something in my speech pattern that sounded funny. A bit frustrated – but honestly intrigued and mindful that they weren’t hurtful – I persuaded them to clarify. Frankly speaking, the clarification they provided didn’t make greater understanding – I continued to have minimal understanding.

What possibly rendered it particularly humorous was the evaluating gesture I had executed while speaking. Subsequently I found out that this frequently goes with “six-seven”: I meant it to help convey the action of me verbalizing thoughts.

In order to eliminate it I attempt to mention it as much as I can. Nothing diminishes a craze like this more emphatically than an adult striving to participate.

‘If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno’

Understanding it aids so that you can avoid just blundering into statements like “for example, there existed 6, 7 thousand unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. If the numerical sequence is unavoidable, possessing a firm student discipline system and expectations on student conduct really helps, as you can deal with it as you would any other disruption, but I rarely been required to take that action. Policies are one thing, but if pupils accept what the learning environment is implementing, they’ll be less distracted by the internet crazes (at least in instructional hours).

Regarding six-seven, I haven’t sacrificed any lesson time, except for an periodic quizzical look and stating “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give focus on it, then it becomes a wildfire. I handle it in the identical manner I would manage any different interruption.

There was the 9 + 10 = 21 phenomenon a while back, and there will no doubt be another craze following this. It’s what kids do. During my own childhood, it was performing television personalities impressions (admittedly outside the school environment).

Young people are spontaneous, and In my opinion it’s an adult’s job to react in a approach that guides them in the direction of the direction that will help them toward their academic objectives, which, fingers crossed, is graduating with qualifications instead of a behaviour list extensive for the use of meaningless numerals.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

The children utilize it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to indicate they’re part of the identical community. It’s similar to a interactive chant or a sports cheer – an agreed language they share. I believe it has any distinct significance to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. No matter what the latest craze is, they desire to experience belonging to it.

It’s forbidden in my teaching space, however – it triggers a reminder if they shout it out – just like any different calling out is. It’s especially challenging in mathematics classes. But my students at year 5 are pre-teens, so they’re relatively accepting of the rules, whereas I understand that at secondary [school] it might be a separate situation.

I have worked as a instructor for fifteen years, and such trends continue for three or four weeks. This trend will diminish shortly – they always do, especially once their little brothers and sisters commence repeating it and it ceases to be fashionable. Subsequently they will be on to the following phenomenon.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I began observing it in August, while instructing in English at a foreign language school. It was mainly male students uttering it. I educated ages 12 to 18 and it was common within the younger pupils. I was unaware what it was at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I recognized it was simply an internet trend similar to when I was at school.

Such phenomena are continuously evolving. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend during the period when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it failed to exist as much in the educational setting. Unlike ““sixseven”, “skibidi toilet” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in class, so students were less able to embrace it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will smile with the students if I unintentionally utter it, striving to relate to them and appreciate that it is just pop culture. I believe they merely seek to feel that sense of community and friendship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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