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Throughout the UK, students have been exclaiming the expression “sixseven” during classes in the latest viral craze to take over schools.

While some teachers have decided to calmly disregard the craze, some have incorporated it. A group of teachers share how they’re managing.

‘My initial assumption was that I’d uttered something offensive’

Back in September, I had been addressing my secondary school students about studying for their GCSE exams in June. I can’t remember specifically what it was in connection with, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting results six, seven …” and the complete classroom started chuckling. It surprised me totally off guard.

My immediate assumption was that I’d made an allusion to an inappropriate topic, or that they detected something in my pronunciation that appeared amusing. Slightly exasperated – but genuinely curious and mindful that they weren’t trying to be hurtful – I persuaded them to elaborate. Frankly speaking, the explanation they provided failed to create significant clarification – I continued to have no idea.

What could have caused it to be particularly humorous was the considering movement I had executed while speaking. Subsequently I discovered that this typically pairs with “six-seven”: I meant it to aid in demonstrating the process of me verbalizing thoughts.

To eliminate it I attempt to bring it up as often as I can. No approach diminishes a craze like this more thoroughly than an teacher attempting to participate.

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

Being aware of it assists so that you can steer clear of just accidentally making statements like “well, there were 6, 7 million people without work in Germany in 1933”. When the number combination is unavoidable, maintaining a strong student discipline system and standards on student conduct proves beneficial, as you can deal with it as you would any other disturbance, but I haven’t actually been required to take that action. Rules are one thing, but if learners embrace what the school is implementing, they will remain better concentrated by the online trends (at least in instructional hours).

With 67, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, except for an infrequent eyebrow raise and saying ““correct, those are digits, good job”. When you provide focus on it, it evolves into a blaze. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would manage any additional disruption.

Previously existed the mathematical meme trend a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge a new phenomenon subsequently. It’s what kids do. When I was childhood, it was doing television personalities impressions (honestly away from the school environment).

Young people are unpredictable, and I think it’s an adult’s job to respond in a way that redirects them back to the direction that will get them where they need to go, which, with luck, is graduating with certificates instead of a conduct report a mile long for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Young learners utilize it like a bonding chant in the recreation area: a pupil shouts it and the remaining students reply to show they are the equivalent circle. It resembles a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they possess. In my view it has any distinct significance to them; they just know it’s a phenomenon to say. No matter what the latest craze is, they seek to be included in it.

It’s forbidden in my learning environment, nevertheless – it triggers a reminder if they exclaim it – similar to any other shouting out is. It’s particularly challenging in maths lessons. But my class at fifth grade are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re relatively accepting of the guidelines, whereas I recognize that at teen education it may be a different matter.

I have worked as a teacher for a decade and a half, and these phenomena continue for a month or so. This craze will die out soon – this consistently happens, notably once their younger siblings begin using it and it ceases to be fashionable. Subsequently they will be focused on the following phenomenon.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I started noticing it in August, while instructing in English at a language institute. It was mainly young men saying it. I instructed students from twelve to eighteen and it was widespread among the less experienced learners. I was unaware its significance at the time, but as a young adult and I realised it was just a meme akin to when I was at school.

The crazes are constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon during the period when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t really exist as much in the learning environment. In contrast to ““sixseven”, ““the skibidi trend” was never written on the whiteboard in instruction, so pupils were less able to adopt it.

I typically overlook it, or sometimes I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, trying to empathise with them and understand that it’s simply youth culture. I think they merely seek to experience that feeling of togetherness and friendship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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