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Across the UK, learners have been shouting out the expression “sixseven” during classes in the latest internet-inspired phenomenon to spread through classrooms.

While some instructors have decided to stoically ignore the trend, different educators have accepted it. Five instructors share how they’re dealing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Earlier in September, I had been speaking with my year 11 students about studying for their qualification tests in June. I can’t remember exactly what it was in connection with, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the whole class burst out laughing. It took me totally off guard.

My initial reaction was that I had created an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they detected a quality in my speech pattern that seemed humorous. Slightly exasperated – but honestly intrigued and conscious that they weren’t trying to be malicious – I persuaded them to clarify. Honestly, the description they then gave didn’t provide greater understanding – I remained with minimal understanding.

What possibly caused it to be especially amusing was the weighing-up movement I had made while speaking. I later discovered that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: I had intended it to assist in expressing the process of me verbalizing thoughts.

With the aim of end the trend I try to mention it as often as I can. No approach deflates a phenomenon like this more effectively than an grown-up trying to join in.

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

Understanding it assists so that you can steer clear of just accidentally making statements like “indeed, there were 6, 7 million jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. When the number combination is inevitable, maintaining a firm school behaviour policy and standards on learner demeanor proves beneficial, as you can sanction it as you would any other disturbance, but I rarely had to do that. Rules are necessary, but if pupils accept what the educational institution is doing, they will become less distracted by the internet crazes (at least in lesson time).

Concerning 67, I haven’t lost any teaching periods, except for an periodic quizzical look and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. When you provide attention to it, then it becomes a blaze. I handle it in the same way I would treat any different interruption.

Earlier occurred the mathematical meme phenomenon a previous period, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend subsequently. It’s what kids do. When I was childhood, it was imitating Kevin and Perry impersonations (admittedly away from the learning space).

Young people are unpredictable, and I think it falls to the teacher to behave in a approach that redirects them in the direction of the course that will help them to their educational goals, which, with luck, is completing their studies with academic achievements as opposed to a disciplinary record a mile long for the use of arbitrary digits.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Young learners use it like a unifying phrase in the playground: a pupil shouts it and the others respond to demonstrate they belong to the equivalent circle. It’s like a call-and-response or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they share. In my view it has any distinct meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a thing to say. Regardless of what the latest craze is, they desire to experience belonging to it.

It’s prohibited in my teaching space, nevertheless – it’s a warning if they shout it out – just like any additional shouting out is. It’s especially difficult in numeracy instruction. But my pupils at year 5 are pre-teens, so they’re relatively compliant with the guidelines, while I recognize that at secondary [school] it may be a different matter.

I have worked as a educator for fifteen years, and such trends persist for a few weeks. This craze will diminish soon – this consistently happens, particularly once their younger siblings start saying it and it ceases to be fashionable. Afterward they shall be engaged with the next thing.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I first detected it in August, while instructing in English at a language institute. It was primarily young men repeating it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was common among the less experienced learners. I had no idea its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I recognized it was just a meme similar to when I attended classes.

These trends are constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my training school, but it didn’t particularly exist as much in the educational setting. Unlike ““sixseven”, ““the skibidi trend” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in class, so pupils were less able to embrace it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, striving to relate to them and understand that it is just youth culture. In my opinion they merely seek to enjoy that sensation of togetherness and friendship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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