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Throughout the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the words ““six-seven” during classes in the most recent internet-inspired phenomenon to sweep across educational institutions.

Whereas some teachers have decided to stoically ignore the phenomenon, others have embraced it. Several teachers explain how they’re managing.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

During September, I had been talking to my secondary school tutor group about getting ready for their secondary school examinations in June. It escapes me precisely what it was in relation to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the complete classroom started chuckling. It caught me totally off guard.

My first thought was that I might have delivered an hint at an offensive subject, or that they detected an element of my pronunciation that seemed humorous. Somewhat exasperated – but genuinely curious and mindful that they weren’t trying to be mean – I persuaded them to explain. Frankly speaking, the explanation they provided failed to create greater understanding – I remained with little comprehension.

What possibly rendered it especially amusing was the considering motion I had made while speaking. I have since discovered that this frequently goes with ““sixseven”: I had intended it to assist in expressing the action of me verbalizing thoughts.

To end the trend I attempt to reference it as frequently as I can. No strategy reduces a craze like this more emphatically than an teacher attempting to get involved.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Understanding it helps so that you can avoid just unintentionally stating comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 hundred unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. If the numerical sequence is inevitable, possessing a rock-solid school behaviour policy and requirements on student conduct is advantageous, as you can address it as you would any different interruption, but I’ve not really needed to implement that. Guidelines are necessary, but if pupils embrace what the school is implementing, they’ll be better concentrated by the online trends (at least in lesson time).

Concerning six-seven, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, aside from an infrequent quizzical look and saying “yes, that’s a number, well done”. Should you offer oxygen to it, it evolves into a blaze. I treat it in the identical manner I would manage any additional disruption.

Previously existed the nine plus ten equals twenty-one craze a while back, and there will no doubt be a new phenomenon subsequently. That’s children’s behavior. During my own growing up, it was performing comedy characters impressions (admittedly outside the school environment).

Young people are unforeseeable, and I think it’s an adult’s job to behave in a way that guides them in the direction of the direction that will help them where they need to go, which, with luck, is graduating with qualifications rather than a disciplinary record a mile long for the use of random numbers.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Students use it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: one says it and the other children answer to indicate they’re part of the same group. It resembles a verbal exchange or a football chant – an shared vocabulary they share. I believe it has any specific importance to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. Whatever the latest craze is, they seek to experience belonging to it.

It’s banned in my classroom, however – it triggers a reminder if they call it out – identical to any different calling out is. It’s notably challenging in numeracy instruction. But my students at year 5 are pre-teens, so they’re relatively compliant with the regulations, while I understand that at secondary [school] it might be a distinct scenario.

I have worked as a teacher for 15 years, and these phenomena continue for three or four weeks. This trend will diminish soon – they always do, especially once their junior family members commence repeating it and it stops being trendy. Then they’ll be engaged with the next thing.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I started noticing it in August, while teaching English at a language institute. It was mostly male students saying it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was common within the younger pupils. I was unaware its significance at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I recognized it was merely a viral phenomenon similar to when I was a student.

These trends are continuously evolving. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my training school, but it didn’t particularly exist as much in the classroom. Differing from ““67”, ““the skibidi trend” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in lessons, so pupils were less equipped to pick up on it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will laugh with them if I accidentally say it, trying to relate to them and appreciate that it is just contemporary trends. I think they merely seek to enjoy that sensation of belonging and companionship.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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