‘You just have to laugh’: a quintet of UK educators on coping with ‘‘sixseven’ in the educational setting

Around the UK, students have been calling out the words ““six-seven” during lessons in the newest meme-based craze to take over schools.

Although some instructors have chosen to patiently overlook the phenomenon, different educators have embraced it. Several instructors describe how they’re coping.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

During September, I had been talking to my eleventh grade students about studying for their secondary school examinations in June. I don’t recall specifically what it was in relation to, but I said something like “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the complete classroom started chuckling. It surprised me totally off guard.

My first thought was that I’d made an allusion to something rude, or that they’d heard an element of my pronunciation that seemed humorous. Somewhat annoyed – but genuinely curious and aware that they had no intention of being malicious – I persuaded them to explain. Honestly, the description they then gave failed to create greater understanding – I remained with minimal understanding.

What possibly made it extra funny was the considering gesture I had made while speaking. I have since found out that this frequently goes with “six-seven”: I had intended it to aid in demonstrating the action of me verbalizing thoughts.

To eliminate it I aim to reference it as frequently as I can. No approach deflates a phenomenon like this more emphatically than an teacher attempting to get involved.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Being aware of it helps so that you can steer clear of just accidentally making statements like “for example, there existed 6, 7 thousand people without work in Germany in 1933”. When the number combination is inevitable, maintaining a firm student discipline system and requirements on learner demeanor is advantageous, as you can deal with it as you would any other disturbance, but I rarely needed to implement that. Policies are important, but if students buy into what the educational institution is practicing, they will become better concentrated by the internet crazes (especially in class periods).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t lost any teaching periods, other than for an periodic eyebrow raise and saying ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. Should you offer focus on it, it transforms into an inferno. I address it in the same way I would handle any additional disruption.

Earlier occurred the mathematical meme craze a previous period, and undoubtedly there will emerge another craze subsequently. That’s children’s behavior. When I was childhood, it was imitating Kevin and Perry impersonations (admittedly away from the learning space).

Children are unpredictable, and I think it’s an adult’s job to react in a manner that steers them back to the direction that will help them where they need to go, which, fingers crossed, is completing their studies with certificates rather than a behaviour list a mile long for the utilization of meaningless numerals.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Young learners utilize it like a bonding chant in the playground: a pupil shouts it and the other children answer to indicate they’re part of the same group. It resembles a interactive chant or a stadium slogan – an common expression they share. I don’t think it has any particular importance to them; they just know it’s a phenomenon to say. Whatever the newest phenomenon is, they desire to feel part of it.

It’s prohibited in my teaching space, though – it triggers a reminder if they shout it out – similar to any different shouting out is. It’s especially challenging in maths lessons. But my students at fifth grade are pre-teens, so they’re fairly compliant with the guidelines, whereas I appreciate that at teen education it may be a separate situation.

I have worked as a instructor for fifteen years, and such trends last for a few weeks. This phenomenon will fade away soon – they always do, especially once their younger siblings begin using it and it ceases to be trendy. Then they’ll be focused on the subsequent trend.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a foreign language school. It was mainly male students uttering it. I instructed ages 12 to 18 and it was prevalent within the junior students. I had no idea its significance at the time, but being twenty-four and I understood it was merely a viral phenomenon akin to when I attended classes.

These trends are constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a well-known trend during the period when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t really occur as often in the classroom. Unlike “six-seven”, “skibidi toilet” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in instruction, so pupils were less equipped to pick up on it.

I just ignore it, or occasionally I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, striving to empathise with them and appreciate that it is just pop culture. I think they simply desire to feel that sense of belonging and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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