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Across the UK, school pupils have been calling out the words “sixseven” during instruction in the latest internet-inspired trend to take over classrooms.

Although some educators have decided to calmly disregard the trend, others have accepted it. Several educators describe how they’re managing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Back in September, I had been addressing my eleventh grade students about getting ready 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 marks six, seven …” and the complete classroom burst out laughing. It took me totally off guard.

My first thought was that I might have delivered an allusion to an inappropriate topic, or that they perceived something in my speech pattern that seemed humorous. Slightly frustrated – but truly interested and aware that they weren’t mean – I got them to explain. To be honest, the clarification they provided didn’t make significant clarification – I continued to have minimal understanding.

What possibly made it extra funny was the weighing-up gesture I had performed during speaking. Subsequently I found out that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to help convey the process of me verbalizing thoughts.

With the aim of end the trend I aim to bring it up as much as I can. No strategy deflates a trend like this more emphatically than an teacher attempting to join in.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Understanding it helps so that you can avoid just accidentally making statements like “indeed, there were 6, 7 million jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. If the number combination is inevitable, possessing a firm classroom conduct rules and expectations on learner demeanor is advantageous, as you can deal with it as you would any additional interruption, but I’ve not really needed to implement that. Guidelines are one thing, but if pupils embrace what the learning environment is doing, they’ll be better concentrated by the internet crazes (particularly in instructional hours).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any instructional minutes, except for an infrequent eyebrow raise and saying “yes, that’s a number, well done”. When you provide focus on it, then it becomes a blaze. I address it in the same way I would treat any other disturbance.

There was the nine plus ten equals twenty-one trend a while back, and there will no doubt be a different trend after this. This is typical youth activity. When I was childhood, it was imitating comedy characters impressions (truthfully out of the learning space).

Children are unforeseeable, and In my opinion it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a approach that steers them back to the path that will get them to their educational goals, which, hopefully, is graduating with certificates instead of a disciplinary record lengthy for the employment of random numbers.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

The children utilize it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to show they are the equivalent circle. It resembles a verbal exchange or a sports cheer – an shared vocabulary they share. I believe it has any distinct significance to them; they merely recognize it’s a thing to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they want to feel part of it.

It’s forbidden in my classroom, however – it triggers a reminder if they exclaim it – similar to any other calling out is. It’s especially difficult in mathematics classes. But my students at primary level are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re quite compliant with the regulations, while I understand that at secondary [school] it might be a different matter.

I’ve been a instructor for a decade and a half, and such trends persist for a month or so. This phenomenon will fade away in the near future – they always do, especially once their little brothers and sisters commence repeating it and it’s no longer fashionable. Afterward they shall be focused on the following phenomenon.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a language institute. It was primarily boys repeating it. I educated teenagers and it was widespread among the younger pupils. I was unaware its meaning at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I realised it was just a meme similar to when I attended classes.

Such phenomena are constantly changing. “Skibidi toilet” was a popular meme during the period when I was at my educational institute, but it failed to occur as often in the learning environment. Unlike “six-seven”, “skibidi toilet” was not inscribed on the whiteboard in lessons, so pupils were less equipped to embrace it.

I typically overlook it, or sometimes I will chuckle alongside them if I unintentionally utter it, attempting to empathise with them and appreciate that it’s simply pop culture. In my opinion they simply desire to feel that sense of community and camaraderie.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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