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Around the UK, learners have been shouting out the expression ““six-seven” during instruction in the most recent viral trend to spread through classrooms.

Although some educators have opted to calmly disregard the craze, some have embraced it. A group of educators share how they’re coping.

‘My initial assumption was that I’d uttered something offensive’

Back in September, I had been addressing my secondary school students about studying for their GCSE exams in June. I don’t recall specifically what it was in reference to, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re targeting marks six, seven …” and the whole class burst out laughing. It surprised me totally off guard.

My first thought was that I’d made an reference to something rude, or that they’d heard a quality in my accent that appeared amusing. Slightly exasperated – but truly interested and mindful that they had no intention of being mean – I asked them to explain. Honestly, the explanation they then gave didn’t provide much difference – I still had minimal understanding.

What might have made it especially amusing was the considering gesture I had made while speaking. Subsequently I learned that this typically pairs with ““67”: I had intended it to assist in expressing the action of me verbalizing thoughts.

In order to end the trend I attempt to reference it as often as I can. Nothing diminishes a trend like this more emphatically than an grown-up trying to join in.

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

Knowing about it assists so that you can prevent just blundering into comments like “for example, there existed 6, 7 hundred people without work in Germany in 1933”. When the numerical sequence is unavoidable, having a strong student discipline system and standards on learner demeanor really helps, as you can address it as you would any different disturbance, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Policies are important, but if learners accept what the school is doing, they will become better concentrated by the internet crazes (especially in instructional hours).

Regarding sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any lesson time, aside from an periodic eyebrow raise and commenting ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. When you provide attention to it, it evolves into a blaze. I address it in the equivalent fashion I would treat any different interruption.

Earlier occurred the nine plus ten equals twenty-one trend a previous period, and certainly there will appear a new phenomenon following this. That’s children’s behavior. During my own childhood, it was doing television personalities mimicry (truthfully away from the school environment).

Young people are unforeseeable, and I think it falls to the teacher to behave in a manner that guides them back to the direction that will enable them to their educational goals, which, fingers crossed, is graduating with qualifications rather than a disciplinary record lengthy for the utilization of arbitrary digits.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

The children utilize it like a connecting expression in the recreation area: one says it and the remaining students reply to indicate they’re part of the same group. It’s similar to a call-and-response or a football chant – an shared vocabulary they possess. I don’t think it has any specific importance to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. No matter what the newest phenomenon is, they seek to experience belonging to it.

It’s forbidden in my classroom, though – it’s a warning if they shout it out – just like any different verbal interruption is. It’s particularly difficult in numeracy instruction. But my students at primary level are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re relatively accepting of the rules, while I recognize that at teen education it may be a distinct scenario.

I have served as a teacher for a decade and a half, and such trends last for a few weeks. This phenomenon will die out shortly – this consistently happens, notably once their younger siblings commence repeating it and it stops being cool. Afterward they shall be engaged with the following phenomenon.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I began observing it in August, while instructing in English at a foreign language school. It was mainly young men uttering it. I educated teenagers and it was prevalent within the younger pupils. I had no idea its meaning at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I realised it was simply an internet trend akin to when I was a student.

Such phenomena are continuously evolving. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my training school, but it failed to appear as frequently in the learning environment. Differing from ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was not inscribed on the board in instruction, so learners were less able to embrace it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will smile with the students if I unintentionally utter it, striving to empathise with them and understand that it’s merely pop culture. In my opinion they just want to enjoy that sensation of togetherness and companionship.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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