🔗 Share this article

Throughout the UK, students have been shouting out the phrase “sixseven” during instruction in the most recent meme-based craze to spread through educational institutions.

While some teachers have opted to patiently overlook the phenomenon, some have accepted it. Several teachers describe how they’re managing.

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

Back in September, I had been addressing my secondary school tutor group about preparing for their secondary school examinations in June. It escapes me exactly what it was in connection with, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the entire group burst out laughing. It caught me entirely unexpectedly.

My initial reaction was that I might have delivered an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they detected an element of my pronunciation that sounded funny. A bit frustrated – but genuinely curious and conscious that they weren’t trying to be mean – I persuaded them to clarify. Frankly speaking, the description they provided failed to create significant clarification – I remained with little comprehension.

What possibly rendered it extra funny was the evaluating motion I had executed while speaking. I have since found out that this frequently goes with ““sixseven”: I had intended it to help convey the act of me speaking my mind.

In order to kill it off I try to bring it up as frequently as I can. Nothing diminishes a craze like this more emphatically than an grown-up striving to get involved.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Knowing about it assists so that you can steer clear of just accidentally making comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 thousand people without work in Germany in 1933”. When the digit pairing is unpreventable, having a strong classroom conduct rules and standards on student conduct proves beneficial, as you can deal with it as you would any additional disruption, but I’ve not really had to do that. Rules are important, but if students buy into what the educational institution is doing, they will become better concentrated by the internet crazes (at least in lesson time).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t lost any teaching periods, except for an occasional quizzical look and saying ““correct, those are digits, good job”. When you provide oxygen to it, it evolves into an inferno. I address it in the identical manner I would handle any additional disruption.

There was the mathematical meme craze a previous period, and there will no doubt be another craze following this. That’s children’s behavior. During my own childhood, it was imitating television personalities mimicry (honestly out of the learning space).

Children are unpredictable, and I think it falls to the teacher to react in a way that steers them toward the path that will get them where they need to go, which, fingers crossed, is graduating with certificates rather than a behaviour list extensive for the use of meaningless numerals.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Young learners use it like a unifying phrase in the recreation area: a student calls it and the others respond to indicate they’re part of the same group. It’s similar to a interactive chant or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they use. I don’t think it has any distinct significance to them; they simply understand it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they want to experience belonging to it.

It’s forbidden in my teaching space, nevertheless – it results in a caution if they call it out – just like any different verbal interruption is. It’s particularly difficult in mathematics classes. But my students at year 5 are children aged nine to ten, so they’re quite accepting of the guidelines, whereas I understand that at secondary [school] it may be a different matter.

I have worked as a instructor for 15 years, and such trends continue for three or four weeks. This craze will fade away soon – this consistently happens, especially once their younger siblings start saying it and it ceases to be 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 foreign language school. It was mainly male students uttering it. I instructed students from twelve to eighteen and it was widespread with the younger pupils. I was unaware its significance at the time, but as a young adult and I recognized it was simply an internet trend akin to when I attended classes.

The crazes are constantly changing. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend during the period when I was at my educational institute, but it failed to exist as much in the learning environment. In contrast to ““67”, ““the skibidi trend” was not scribbled on the board in class, so pupils were less prepared to adopt it.

I typically overlook it, or periodically I will laugh with them if I accidentally say it, trying to empathise with them and appreciate that it’s simply youth culture. I think they simply desire to enjoy that sensation of belonging and companionship.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

I have worked in the {job|profession