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Throughout the UK, school pupils have been shouting out the expression “sixseven” during lessons in the latest meme-based craze to spread through schools.

Whereas some educators have chosen to calmly disregard the craze, others have embraced it. A group of educators explain how they’re dealing.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Back in September, I had been speaking with my year 11 students about preparing for their secondary school examinations in June. I can’t remember specifically what it was in connection with, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It surprised me totally off guard.

My immediate assumption was that I had created an hint at something rude, or that they detected something in my pronunciation that seemed humorous. Somewhat frustrated – but truly interested and conscious that they had no intention of being hurtful – I asked them to clarify. Honestly, the clarification they provided didn’t provide greater understanding – I remained with little comprehension.

What possibly made it particularly humorous was the evaluating movement I had made while speaking. I later discovered that this frequently goes with ““sixseven”: I meant it to help convey the act of me speaking my mind.

In order to end the trend I try to mention it as much as I can. Nothing diminishes a phenomenon like this more effectively than an teacher trying to get involved.

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

Being aware of it assists so that you can avoid just accidentally making comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 thousand people without work in Germany in 1933”. When the digit pairing is inevitable, possessing a firm classroom conduct rules and standards on learner demeanor is advantageous, as you can address it as you would any different interruption, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Guidelines are important, but if learners accept what the educational institution is practicing, they will remain better concentrated by the online trends (particularly in lesson time).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t lost any lesson time, other than for an periodic eyebrow raise and commenting “yes, that’s a number, well done”. When you provide attention to it, it transforms into a blaze. I treat it in the same way I would handle any additional interruption.

Earlier occurred the nine plus ten equals twenty-one trend a previous period, and certainly there will appear another craze subsequently. That’s children’s behavior. When I was growing up, it was doing comedy characters mimicry (admittedly outside the classroom).

Students are unpredictable, and I think it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a manner that guides them toward the direction that will get them to their educational goals, which, with luck, is completing their studies with academic achievements as opposed to a conduct report lengthy for the employment of meaningless numerals.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

The children use it like a unifying phrase in the playground: a pupil shouts it and the others respond to indicate they’re part of the equivalent circle. It resembles a interactive chant or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they possess. I believe it has any specific importance to them; they simply understand it’s a phenomenon to say. Whatever the current trend is, they desire to be included in it.

It’s banned in my learning environment, however – it results in a caution if they exclaim it – just like any different shouting out is. It’s particularly challenging in maths lessons. But my students at primary level are children aged nine to ten, so they’re quite accepting of the regulations, whereas I understand that at high school it may be a separate situation.

I have served as a instructor for 15 years, and such trends continue for three or four weeks. This craze will die out in the near future – this consistently happens, notably once their younger siblings start saying it and it’s no longer trendy. Then they’ll be engaged with the subsequent trend.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I began observing it in August, while teaching English at a language institute. It was mainly male students saying it. I instructed students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent among the junior students. I didn’t understand what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I recognized it was merely a viral phenomenon akin to when I attended classes.

The crazes are continuously evolving. “Skibidi toilet” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it failed to occur as often in the classroom. Unlike “six-seven”, “skibidi toilet” was never written on the whiteboard in class, so pupils were less equipped to adopt it.

I just ignore it, or occasionally I will smile with the students if I inadvertently mention it, striving to empathise with them and recognize that it is just youth culture. I believe they merely seek to feel that sense of belonging and companionship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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