‘You just have to laugh’: five UK instructors on handling ‘‘sixseven’ in the school environment

Around the UK, learners have been shouting out the words ““67” during instruction in the newest viral craze to sweep across educational institutions.

While some educators have chosen to stoically ignore the phenomenon, different educators have embraced it. Five teachers share how they’re coping.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Earlier in September, I had been speaking with my eleventh grade tutor group about preparing for their qualification tests in June. I can’t remember exactly what it was in relation to, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the entire group burst out laughing. It caught me completely by surprise.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they perceived a quality in my speech pattern that seemed humorous. Somewhat exasperated – but truly interested and conscious that they had no intention of being malicious – I asked them to elaborate. To be honest, the clarification they then gave failed to create much difference – I still had little comprehension.

What could have made it particularly humorous was the considering gesture I had performed during speaking. I have since discovered that this frequently goes with ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to aid in demonstrating the process of me verbalizing thoughts.

In order to kill it off I aim to reference it as frequently as I can. Nothing reduces a trend like this more effectively than an adult striving to get involved.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Being aware of it helps so that you can prevent just accidentally making comments like “well, there were 6, 7 hundred jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. If the digit pairing is unpreventable, possessing a firm school behaviour policy and expectations on student conduct really helps, as you can deal with it as you would any additional disruption, but I rarely been required to take that action. Policies are one thing, but if pupils accept what the educational institution is implementing, they will remain better concentrated by the viral phenomena (especially in lesson time).

Concerning six-seven, I haven’t sacrificed any instructional minutes, aside from an occasional quizzical look and stating “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give attention to it, then it becomes an inferno. I address it in the identical manner I would handle any different disruption.

Earlier occurred the mathematical meme trend a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge a new phenomenon following this. It’s what kids do. When I was childhood, it was performing Kevin and Perry impressions (admittedly out of the classroom).

Children are spontaneous, and I believe it falls to the teacher to react in a way that redirects them toward the path that will help them where they need to go, which, with luck, is coming out with academic achievements rather than a disciplinary record lengthy for the employment of meaningless numerals.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

The children employ it like a bonding chant in the schoolyard: one says it and the other children answer to show they are the equivalent circle. It resembles a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they possess. I don’t think it has any specific importance to them; they just know it’s a thing to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they desire to experience belonging to it.

It’s prohibited in my learning environment, however – it results in a caution if they exclaim it – identical to any additional calling out is. It’s particularly difficult in maths lessons. But my students at year 5 are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re relatively compliant with the regulations, whereas I appreciate that at teen education it might be a different matter.

I’ve been a instructor for a decade and a half, and such trends continue for three or four weeks. This trend will diminish in the near future – this consistently happens, especially once their little brothers and sisters commence repeating it and it stops being trendy. Afterward they shall be focused on the next thing.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I first detected it in August, while instructing in English at a language institute. It was primarily young men uttering it. I instructed students from twelve to eighteen and it was common among the junior students. I was unaware what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I understood it was just a meme comparable to when I was at school.

These trends are always shifting. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend during the period when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t particularly appear as frequently in the educational setting. Unlike “six-seven”, ““that particular meme” was not inscribed on the board in class, so learners were less prepared to adopt it.

I simply disregard it, or sometimes I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, striving to empathise with them and understand that it’s merely contemporary trends. I believe they simply desire to enjoy that sensation of togetherness and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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