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Around the UK, school pupils have been calling out the words “sixseven” during instruction in the most recent meme-based trend to take over schools.

While some instructors have chosen to stoically ignore the trend, some have accepted it. A group of educators explain how they’re managing.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Earlier in September, I had been talking to my secondary school students about preparing for their secondary school examinations in June. It escapes me precisely what it was in connection with, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the whole class started chuckling. It caught me completely by surprise.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an hint at something rude, or that they perceived an element of my pronunciation that sounded funny. A bit annoyed – but genuinely curious and mindful that they had no intention of being mean – I asked them to explain. Frankly speaking, the clarification they provided didn’t make much difference – I still had no idea.

What could have rendered it particularly humorous was the evaluating motion I had executed while speaking. Subsequently I found out that this often accompanies ““67”: I had intended it to assist in expressing the process of me speaking my mind.

In order to end the trend I try to bring it up as often as I can. Nothing deflates a craze like this more thoroughly than an grown-up striving to participate.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Understanding it helps so that you can steer clear of just unintentionally stating comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 million people without work in Germany in 1933”. If the numerical sequence is inevitable, maintaining a firm classroom conduct rules and requirements on pupil behavior really helps, as you can address it as you would any different interruption, but I haven’t actually been required to take that action. Policies are important, but if learners embrace what the learning environment is implementing, they’ll be better concentrated by the internet crazes (at least in class periods).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t wasted any lesson time, aside from an infrequent quizzical look and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. When you provide oxygen to it, it transforms into a blaze. I address it in the same way I would handle any additional disturbance.

Previously existed the 9 + 10 = 21 trend a while back, and certainly there will appear a different trend subsequently. That’s children’s behavior. During my own childhood, it was performing comedy characters impersonations (honestly out of the classroom).

Young people are unforeseeable, and In my opinion it falls to the teacher to respond in a way that steers them back to the path that will get them toward their academic objectives, which, fingers crossed, is coming out with certificates rather than a behaviour list lengthy for the use of arbitrary digits.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

The children use it like a bonding chant in the recreation area: one says it and the other children answer to show they are the equivalent circle. It’s like a call-and-response or a sports cheer – an agreed language they use. I believe it has any distinct meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a thing to say. Whatever the latest craze is, they seek to feel part of it.

It’s forbidden in my classroom, though – it triggers a reminder if they call it out – similar to any additional verbal interruption is. It’s particularly difficult in maths lessons. But my pupils at year 5 are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re quite adherent to the rules, while I recognize that at teen education it could be a separate situation.

I’ve been a instructor for 15 years, and these crazes continue for three or four weeks. This trend will fade away in the near future – they always do, notably once their little brothers and sisters begin using it and it ceases to be trendy. Then they’ll be engaged with the following phenomenon.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a international school. It was mainly boys repeating it. I instructed ages 12 to 18 and it was common with the less experienced learners. I had no idea what it was at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I recognized it was just a meme comparable to when I was a student.

Such phenomena are constantly changing. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend at the time when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t really occur as often in the learning environment. In contrast to ““67”, “skibidi toilet” was not inscribed on the board in class, so students were less prepared to adopt it.

I just ignore it, or periodically I will chuckle alongside them if I unintentionally utter it, striving to empathise with them and understand that it’s simply youth culture. In my opinion they just want to feel that sense of community and camaraderie.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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