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Across the UK, learners have been exclaiming the expression “sixseven” during classes in the most recent internet-inspired craze to sweep across schools.

While some educators have opted to stoically ignore the trend, others have accepted it. A group of teachers share how they’re managing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Earlier in September, I had been talking to my year 11 students about getting ready for their qualification tests in June. I don’t recall specifically what it was in reference to, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re targeting results six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It took me totally off guard.

My immediate assumption was that I’d made an hint at something rude, or that they perceived a quality in my pronunciation that seemed humorous. Slightly annoyed – but honestly intrigued and aware that they had no intention of being malicious – I asked them to elaborate. Honestly, the clarification they provided didn’t make much difference – I remained with no idea.

What might have made it extra funny was the evaluating motion I had performed during speaking. I have since found out that this often accompanies ““67”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the process of me verbalizing thoughts.

With the aim of end the trend I attempt to bring it up as frequently as I can. No approach reduces a phenomenon like this more effectively than an grown-up attempting to get involved.

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

Understanding it assists so that you can avoid just blundering into remarks like “indeed, there were 6, 7 million jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the numerical sequence is unpreventable, having a rock-solid school behaviour policy and requirements on student conduct is advantageous, as you can deal with it as you would any additional disturbance, but I haven’t actually had to do that. Guidelines are one thing, but if students accept what the school is doing, they’ll be less distracted by the viral phenomena (especially in lesson time).

With six-seven, I haven’t wasted any lesson time, aside from an infrequent eyebrow raise and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. When you provide focus on it, it transforms into a wildfire. I treat it in the identical manner I would manage any other disruption.

Earlier occurred the 9 + 10 = 21 phenomenon a few years ago, and there will no doubt be another craze subsequently. That’s children’s behavior. During my own youth, it was doing Kevin and Perry impressions (truthfully out of the classroom).

Students are spontaneous, and In my opinion it falls to the teacher to react in a way that steers them in the direction of the path that will help them to their educational goals, which, hopefully, is coming out with qualifications as opposed to a conduct report lengthy for the use of arbitrary digits.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Young learners use it like a unifying phrase in the schoolyard: a pupil shouts it and the remaining students reply to indicate they’re part of the identical community. It’s similar to a call-and-response or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they use. I believe it has any particular meaning to them; they simply understand it’s a thing to say. No matter what the latest craze is, they seek to experience belonging to it.

It’s prohibited in my classroom, nevertheless – it results in a caution if they call it out – just like any additional verbal interruption is. It’s notably tricky in maths lessons. But my class at fifth grade are children aged nine to ten, so they’re quite compliant with the regulations, while I understand that at teen education it might be a different matter.

I have worked as a teacher for a decade and a half, and these crazes last for three or four weeks. This craze will diminish in the near future – it invariably occurs, notably once their younger siblings start saying it and it stops being cool. Subsequently they will be on to the next thing.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I started noticing it in August, while teaching English at a foreign language school. It was primarily boys saying it. I instructed ages 12 to 18 and it was widespread with the younger pupils. I had no idea what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I recognized it was just a meme comparable to when I attended classes.

Such phenomena are always shifting. ““Skibidi” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my training school, but it failed to exist as much in the learning environment. Unlike ““sixseven”, ““the skibidi trend” was not inscribed on the whiteboard in lessons, so learners were less equipped to pick up on it.

I simply disregard it, or sometimes I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, striving to understand them and understand that it’s merely youth culture. In my opinion they merely seek to feel that sense of belonging and companionship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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