‘Sometimes you’ve got to chuckle’: several UK teachers on dealing with ‘‘sixseven’ in the school environment

Around the UK, school pupils have been calling out the words ““67” during classes in the most recent meme-based phenomenon to sweep across schools.

Although some instructors have chosen to stoically ignore the phenomenon, others have incorporated it. A group of instructors share how they’re dealing.

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

Earlier in September, I had been speaking with my year 11 tutor group about studying for their secondary school examinations in June. I can’t remember specifically what it was in relation to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the whole class started chuckling. It surprised me entirely unexpectedly.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an allusion to an offensive subject, or that they’d heard an element of my accent that appeared amusing. Somewhat annoyed – but honestly intrigued and mindful that they had no intention of being malicious – I got them to explain. Honestly, the clarification they provided didn’t provide significant clarification – I continued to have little comprehension.

What possibly rendered it extra funny was the weighing-up motion I had performed during speaking. I later discovered that this often accompanies “six-seven”: My purpose was it to aid in demonstrating the action of me speaking my mind.

To kill it off I aim to bring it up as frequently as I can. No strategy diminishes a craze like this more emphatically than an teacher attempting to join in.

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

Knowing about it assists so that you can prevent just accidentally making comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 million unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the number combination is inevitable, having a firm classroom conduct rules and requirements on pupil behavior really helps, as you can deal with it as you would any additional disruption, but I haven’t actually needed to implement that. Policies are important, but if students buy into what the learning environment is practicing, they will remain more focused by the viral phenomena (particularly in class periods).

With six-seven, I haven’t lost any lesson time, other than for an infrequent eyebrow raise and commenting “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give focus on it, it transforms into a wildfire. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would manage any different interruption.

There was the mathematical meme craze a while back, and certainly there will appear a different trend subsequently. That’s children’s behavior. Back when I was childhood, it was doing Kevin and Perry impressions (honestly away from the classroom).

Students are spontaneous, and I think it falls to the teacher to react in a manner that steers them toward the path that will get them where they need to go, which, with luck, is coming out with qualifications as opposed to a disciplinary record a mile long for the utilization of random numbers.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

The children utilize it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the other children answer to demonstrate they belong to the equivalent circle. It’s like a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an common expression they share. I believe it has any particular significance to them; they simply understand it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they desire to be included in it.

It’s forbidden in my classroom, though – it results in a caution if they exclaim it – identical to any different calling out is. It’s particularly challenging in maths lessons. But my students at fifth grade are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re fairly adherent to the regulations, whereas I appreciate that at teen education it might be a distinct scenario.

I have served as a educator for fifteen years, and these phenomena continue for three or four weeks. This craze will die out in the near future – this consistently happens, especially once their younger siblings begin using it and it stops being fashionable. Subsequently they will be focused on the subsequent trend.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I first detected it in August, while educating in English language at a language institute. It was primarily young men uttering it. I educated students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent among the younger pupils. I didn’t understand what it was at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I recognized it was just a meme similar to when I attended classes.

These trends are constantly changing. “Skibidi toilet” was a familiar phenomenon during the period when I was at my educational institute, but it failed to occur as often in the classroom. Differing from ““sixseven”, ““the skibidi trend” was not inscribed on the whiteboard in class, so pupils were less able to embrace it.

I typically overlook it, or occasionally I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, trying to relate to them and understand that it’s merely youth culture. In my opinion they merely seek to experience that feeling of togetherness and camaraderie.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

I’ve done the {job|profession

Eric Walker
Eric Walker

A physicist and gaming enthusiast passionate about making quantum concepts accessible to all through creative storytelling.