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Across the UK, school pupils have been shouting out the expression ““six-seven” during classes in the latest internet-inspired trend to sweep across classrooms.

Although some teachers have decided to patiently overlook the trend, some have accepted it. Five teachers explain how they’re dealing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Back in September, I had been addressing my year 11 class about studying for their secondary school examinations in June. It escapes me precisely what it was in reference to, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting results six, seven …” and the whole class burst out laughing. It surprised me entirely unexpectedly.

My first thought was that I’d made an hint at an inappropriate topic, or that they perceived a quality in my speech pattern that sounded funny. A bit exasperated – but truly interested and mindful that they weren’t trying to be mean – I asked them to elaborate. Frankly speaking, the description they then gave failed to create significant clarification – I continued to have no idea.

What possibly made it extra funny was the evaluating gesture I had made while speaking. Subsequently I found out that this frequently goes with ““sixseven”: I had intended it to help convey the action of me verbalizing thoughts.

With the aim of kill it off I try to reference it as frequently as I can. No approach reduces a phenomenon like this more effectively than an adult attempting to participate.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Knowing about it assists so that you can steer clear of just unintentionally stating comments like “well, there were 6, 7 hundred people without work in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the numerical sequence is inevitable, having a rock-solid student discipline system and expectations on learner demeanor really helps, as you can address it as you would any different disruption, but I rarely needed to implement that. Policies are necessary, but if students embrace what the educational institution is implementing, they will remain better concentrated by the viral phenomena (particularly in instructional hours).

Regarding sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any lesson time, aside from an infrequent eyebrow raise and saying “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give focus on it, it evolves into a wildfire. I address it in the identical manner I would treat any other interruption.

There was the mathematical meme phenomenon a while back, and there will no doubt be a new phenomenon following this. This is typical youth activity. During my own childhood, it was performing television personalities mimicry (admittedly outside the classroom).

Young people are unpredictable, and I believe it’s the educator’s responsibility to react in a manner that redirects them toward the path that will enable them toward their academic objectives, which, hopefully, is graduating with academic achievements instead of a behaviour list a mile long for the utilization of meaningless numerals.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Students employ it like a unifying phrase in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to show they are the identical community. It’s similar to a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an common expression they share. In my view it has any particular meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a thing to say. Whatever the latest craze is, they seek to be included in it.

It’s banned in my classroom, though – it’s a warning if they shout it out – just like any additional shouting out is. It’s particularly challenging in maths lessons. But my class at primary level are pre-teens, so they’re fairly accepting of the rules, whereas I recognize that at high school it may be a different matter.

I have worked as a educator for a decade and a half, and these phenomena continue for a month or so. This phenomenon will die out soon – they always do, especially once their younger siblings start saying it and it stops being fashionable. Subsequently they will be on to the subsequent trend.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I started noticing it in August, while instructing in English at a language institute. It was primarily male students uttering it. I instructed teenagers and it was widespread among the junior students. I didn’t understand its meaning 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 constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a popular meme during the period when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it failed to appear as frequently in the classroom. Differing from ““67”, ““that particular meme” was not inscribed on the board in instruction, so pupils were less prepared to embrace it.

I simply disregard it, or periodically I will laugh with them if I inadvertently mention it, striving to understand them and understand that it is just contemporary trends. I believe they merely seek to experience that feeling of belonging and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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