‘You just have to laugh’: five UK educators on handling ‘‘sixseven’ in the classroom

Throughout the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the phrase “sixseven” during classes in the latest viral craze to take over schools.

While some teachers have chosen to patiently overlook the phenomenon, some have embraced it. Five teachers explain how they’re coping.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Earlier in September, I had been addressing my year 11 tutor group about getting ready for their qualification tests in June. I don’t recall exactly what it was in reference to, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the complete classroom burst out laughing. It took me completely by surprise.

My immediate assumption was that I might have delivered an hint at an offensive subject, or that they perceived an element of my speech pattern that seemed humorous. Slightly annoyed – but genuinely curious and aware that they had no intention of being hurtful – I persuaded them to elaborate. To be honest, the explanation they offered didn’t provide greater understanding – I still had little comprehension.

What possibly made it extra funny was the weighing-up movement I had executed while speaking. Subsequently I learned that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to help convey the action of me thinking aloud.

In order to eliminate it I try to bring it up as frequently as I can. No strategy diminishes a craze like this more thoroughly than an grown-up attempting to participate.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Knowing about it helps so that you can steer clear of just unintentionally stating remarks like “for example, there existed 6, 7 thousand people without work in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the digit pairing is unpreventable, having a strong school behaviour policy and standards on student conduct really helps, as you can address it as you would any different interruption, but I’ve not really needed to implement that. Guidelines are important, but if learners buy into what the school is doing, they will remain better concentrated by the internet crazes (particularly in lesson time).

Regarding six-seven, I haven’t lost any instructional minutes, aside from an periodic quizzical look and stating ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. When you provide attention to it, then it becomes a wildfire. I treat it in the identical manner I would manage any different interruption.

Earlier occurred the mathematical meme craze a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend subsequently. It’s what kids do. When I was childhood, it was performing television personalities mimicry (truthfully away from the learning space).

Students are unpredictable, and I believe it’s the educator’s responsibility to respond in a way that guides them toward the direction that will get them where they need to go, which, fingers crossed, is completing their studies with certificates as opposed to a conduct report extensive for the utilization of arbitrary digits.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Students employ it like a unifying phrase in the recreation area: a pupil shouts it and the remaining students reply to demonstrate they belong to the same group. It’s similar to a interactive chant or a sports cheer – an agreed language they use. I don’t think it has any distinct significance to them; they merely recognize it’s a phenomenon to say. Whatever the current trend is, they want to feel part of it.

It’s banned in my learning environment, however – it results in a caution if they exclaim it – identical to any different shouting out is. It’s especially difficult in mathematics classes. But my pupils at primary level are children aged nine to ten, so they’re relatively compliant with the regulations, whereas I recognize that at teen education it might be a separate situation.

I have served as a instructor for fifteen years, and these phenomena persist for a month or so. This trend will diminish soon – they always do, especially once their younger siblings commence repeating it and it’s no longer cool. Subsequently they will be engaged with the next thing.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a language institute. It was mostly young men repeating it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was prevalent within the younger pupils. I didn’t understand its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I recognized it was merely a viral phenomenon comparable to when I attended classes.

These trends are constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a popular meme at the time when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it failed to occur as often in the learning environment. Differing from ““67”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the chalkboard in lessons, so students were less prepared to embrace it.

I simply disregard it, or periodically I will chuckle alongside them if I accidentally say it, attempting to empathise with them and understand that it’s simply contemporary trends. I think they simply desire to feel that sense of belonging and companionship.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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