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Throughout the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the expression “sixseven” during instruction in the most recent viral craze to spread through educational institutions.

Whereas some instructors have opted to calmly disregard the craze, others have accepted it. Five teachers share how they’re dealing.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Earlier in September, I had been speaking with my secondary school students about studying for their GCSE exams in June. I don’t recall precisely what it was in reference to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re working to grades six, seven …” and the complete classroom erupted in laughter. It surprised me entirely unexpectedly.

My first thought was that I might have delivered an reference to an offensive subject, or that they’d heard a quality in my accent that seemed humorous. Slightly annoyed – but truly interested and aware that they had no intention of being hurtful – I got them to clarify. To be honest, the clarification they offered didn’t make much difference – I continued to have little comprehension.

What possibly rendered it especially amusing was the considering gesture I had made while speaking. I have since found out that this frequently goes with ““sixseven”: I meant it to help convey the action of me speaking my mind.

In order to eliminate it I aim to reference it as often as I can. No approach diminishes a trend like this more effectively than an grown-up striving to get involved.

‘If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno’

Understanding it assists so that you can avoid just unintentionally stating remarks like “well, there were 6, 7 hundred unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. If the digit pairing is inevitable, having a strong student discipline system and standards on student conduct is advantageous, as you can sanction it as you would any other disturbance, but I rarely had to do that. Guidelines are necessary, but if pupils embrace what the educational institution is implementing, they will remain better concentrated by the viral phenomena (especially in lesson time).

Concerning six-seven, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, except for an periodic eyebrow raise and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. If you give oxygen to it, it transforms into a wildfire. I treat it in the same way I would handle any different interruption.

Earlier occurred the mathematical meme craze a previous period, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend subsequently. That’s children’s behavior. During my own youth, it was doing television personalities impressions (honestly outside the school environment).

Young people are unforeseeable, and I believe it falls to the teacher to respond in a approach that guides them in the direction of the course that will help them where they need to go, which, hopefully, is completing their studies with qualifications as opposed to a disciplinary record a mile long for the employment of random numbers.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Students employ it like a unifying phrase in the schoolyard: one says it and the other children answer to indicate they’re part of the same group. It’s like a call-and-response or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they possess. In my view it has any distinct importance to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they desire to feel part of it.

It’s banned in my classroom, nevertheless – it results in a caution if they shout it out – identical to any additional shouting out is. It’s notably tricky in maths lessons. But my students at primary level are children aged nine to ten, so they’re fairly accepting of the rules, whereas I recognize that at secondary [school] it may be a separate situation.

I have served as a instructor for 15 years, and these phenomena continue for a month or so. This phenomenon will fade away soon – it invariably occurs, especially once their little brothers and sisters begin using it and it ceases to be fashionable. Subsequently they will be engaged with the next thing.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I first detected it in August, while educating in English language at a foreign language school. It was mainly male students repeating it. I taught teenagers and it was common among the less experienced learners. I had no idea its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon similar to when I was at school.

The crazes are always shifting. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend at the time when I was at my training school, but it didn’t really occur as often in the classroom. Unlike ““sixseven”, “skibidi toilet” was never written on the board in class, so students were less prepared to embrace it.

I typically overlook it, or periodically I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, attempting to relate to them and recognize that it’s merely pop culture. I believe they merely seek to experience that feeling of community and friendship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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