‘It’s impossible not to smile’: several UK educators on handling ‘‘67’ in the classroom

Around the UK, learners have been calling out the words ““six-seven” during instruction in the newest internet-inspired phenomenon to take over schools.

Although some teachers have opted to stoically ignore the craze, others have incorporated it. Several educators explain how they’re dealing.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

During September, I had been talking to my eleventh grade tutor group about studying for their GCSE exams in June. I can’t remember precisely what it was in relation to, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting marks six, seven …” and the complete classroom started chuckling. It took me entirely unexpectedly.

My immediate assumption was that I’d made an hint at an offensive subject, or that they detected an element of my pronunciation that appeared amusing. A bit exasperated – but honestly intrigued and aware that they weren’t trying to be hurtful – I got them to elaborate. To be honest, the clarification they offered didn’t make much difference – I continued to have no idea.

What possibly rendered it particularly humorous was the weighing-up motion I had executed while speaking. I have since learned that this typically pairs with “six-seven”: My purpose was it to help convey the action of me speaking my mind.

In order to kill it off I try to reference it as frequently as I can. No strategy reduces a craze like this more thoroughly than an teacher striving to join in.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Being aware of it helps so that you can prevent just accidentally making statements like “well, there were 6, 7 thousand jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. If the digit pairing is unpreventable, maintaining a rock-solid school behaviour policy and expectations on learner demeanor is advantageous, as you can sanction it as you would any additional interruption, but I rarely been required to take that action. Guidelines are one thing, but if pupils embrace what the learning environment is practicing, they will become less distracted by the internet crazes (particularly in lesson time).

With 67, I haven’t lost any teaching periods, aside from an periodic eyebrow raise and saying ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. When you provide oxygen to it, it transforms into a blaze. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any additional interruption.

Earlier occurred the 9 + 10 = 21 trend a previous period, and there will no doubt be another craze after this. It’s what kids do. When I was childhood, it was imitating Kevin and Perry impressions (truthfully away from the classroom).

Young people are spontaneous, and I believe it falls to the teacher to react in a way that steers them toward the course that will help them toward their academic objectives, which, fingers crossed, is graduating with certificates as opposed to a disciplinary record a mile long for the utilization of arbitrary digits.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Students employ it like a connecting expression in the playground: one says it and the remaining students reply to demonstrate they belong to the equivalent circle. It’s like a call-and-response or a sports cheer – an agreed language they share. In my view it has any specific meaning to them; they simply understand it’s a trend to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they seek to experience belonging to it.

It’s banned in my learning environment, nevertheless – it results in a caution if they exclaim it – just like any other verbal interruption is. It’s particularly challenging in numeracy instruction. But my students at primary level are children aged nine to ten, so they’re fairly compliant with the guidelines, whereas I recognize that at secondary [school] it could be a different matter.

I’ve been a educator for a decade and a half, and such trends persist for a month or so. This trend will fade away soon – they always do, particularly once their junior family members commence repeating it and it’s no longer cool. Afterward they shall be engaged with the following phenomenon.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I started noticing it in August, while instructing in English at a foreign language school. It was mainly young men saying it. I educated ages 12 to 18 and it was common with the junior students. I was unaware its significance at the time, but being twenty-four and I understood it was simply an internet trend comparable to when I attended classes.

The crazes are constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a well-known trend at the time when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t really appear as frequently in the learning environment. In contrast to “six-seven”, ““the skibidi trend” was not inscribed on the board in lessons, so students were less equipped to embrace it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will laugh with them if I accidentally say it, trying to empathise with them and appreciate that it is just youth culture. I believe they just want to enjoy that sensation of belonging and friendship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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