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Across the UK, learners have been calling out the words “sixseven” during lessons in the most recent meme-based trend to spread through classrooms.

While some educators have chosen to patiently overlook the craze, different educators have embraced it. A group of educators explain how they’re managing.

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

During September, I had been speaking with my year 11 students about preparing for their qualification tests in June. I can’t remember exactly what it was in connection with, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re working to results six, seven …” and the whole class started chuckling. It took me totally off guard.

My immediate assumption was that I had created an allusion to an inappropriate topic, or that they detected an element of my pronunciation that seemed humorous. Slightly frustrated – but genuinely curious and conscious that they weren’t hurtful – I asked them to clarify. To be honest, the clarification they then gave didn’t make significant clarification – I remained with no idea.

What could have rendered it especially amusing was the weighing-up motion I had performed during speaking. I later discovered that this typically pairs with ““67”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the process of me speaking my mind.

With the aim of eliminate it I try to bring it up as often as I can. No approach diminishes a phenomenon like this more emphatically than an teacher striving to participate.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Understanding it helps so that you can prevent just unintentionally stating remarks like “indeed, there were 6, 7 hundred people without work in Germany in 1933”. If the digit pairing is inevitable, having a rock-solid classroom conduct rules and expectations on student conduct proves beneficial, as you can address it as you would any other interruption, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Guidelines are one thing, but if learners buy into what the educational institution is implementing, they will become better concentrated by the internet crazes (especially in lesson time).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t lost any lesson time, except for an periodic eyebrow raise and stating ““correct, those are digits, good job”. When you provide oxygen to it, it evolves into a blaze. I treat it in the same way I would treat any other interruption.

Previously existed the nine plus ten equals twenty-one trend a previous period, and undoubtedly there will emerge another craze subsequently. It’s what kids do. During my own growing up, it was doing comedy characters mimicry (honestly out of the learning space).

Children are unpredictable, and I think it falls to the teacher to respond in a manner that redirects them in the direction of the course that will enable them to their educational goals, which, hopefully, is graduating with academic achievements rather than a conduct report lengthy for the use of random numbers.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

The children utilize it like a connecting expression in the playground: one says it and the others respond to show they are the identical community. It resembles a interactive chant or a sports cheer – an shared vocabulary they use. In my view it has any specific importance to them; they just know it’s a trend to say. No matter what the newest phenomenon is, they want to be included in it.

It’s prohibited in my teaching space, though – it results in a caution if they call it out – just like any different shouting out is. It’s particularly challenging in numeracy instruction. But my class at primary level are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re relatively accepting of the rules, although I understand that at teen education it might be a separate situation.

I have worked as a educator for a decade and a half, and such trends persist for three or four weeks. This trend will die out in the near future – this consistently happens, particularly once their junior family members begin using it and it’s no longer cool. Subsequently they will be engaged with the following phenomenon.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I started noticing it in August, while educating in English language at a language institute. It was mainly male students saying it. I instructed teenagers and it was widespread within the junior students. I had no idea what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I understood it was just a meme comparable to when I was a student.

Such phenomena are always shifting. ““Skibidi” was a familiar phenomenon at the time when I was at my training school, but it didn’t particularly occur as often in the educational setting. Differing from ““sixseven”, “skibidi toilet” was not inscribed on the chalkboard in lessons, so pupils were less equipped to adopt it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, trying to understand them and appreciate that it’s merely contemporary trends. In my opinion they simply desire to enjoy that sensation of belonging and companionship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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