‘Sometimes you’ve got to chuckle’: five UK teachers on coping with ‘‘sixseven’ in the educational setting

Around the UK, students have been shouting out the phrase “sixseven” during instruction in the most recent internet-inspired craze to spread through classrooms.

Although some instructors have chosen to stoically ignore the phenomenon, others have embraced it. A group of teachers describe how they’re coping.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Earlier in September, I had been addressing my year 11 class about studying for their GCSE exams in June. I don’t recall specifically what it was in connection with, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the entire group burst out laughing. It took me completely by surprise.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an hint at something rude, or that they’d heard a quality in my pronunciation that sounded funny. A bit exasperated – but truly interested and conscious that they weren’t trying to be hurtful – I persuaded them to explain. Honestly, the clarification they then gave failed to create significant clarification – I remained with little comprehension.

What might have made it particularly humorous was the considering gesture I had executed while speaking. I have since found out that this frequently goes with ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to help convey the action of me thinking aloud.

With the aim of kill it off I attempt to reference it as much as I can. No strategy reduces a trend like this more thoroughly than an teacher striving to participate.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Being aware of it assists so that you can avoid just blundering into statements like “well, there were 6, 7 million jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. When the digit pairing is unpreventable, having a firm student discipline system and requirements on pupil behavior proves beneficial, as you can address it as you would any different disturbance, but I rarely had to do that. Rules are necessary, but if students embrace what the school is practicing, they will remain better concentrated by the internet crazes (particularly in class periods).

Concerning 67, I haven’t lost any instructional minutes, except for an periodic raised eyebrow and saying ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. If you give oxygen to it, it evolves into a wildfire. I treat it in the same way I would handle any additional disruption.

Earlier occurred the 9 + 10 = 21 phenomenon a previous period, and there will no doubt be a different trend subsequently. This is typical youth activity. During my own growing up, it was doing comedy characters impressions (truthfully away from the school environment).

Students are unforeseeable, and In my opinion it falls to the teacher to react in a way that redirects them back to the course that will help them where they need to go, which, with luck, is completing their studies with certificates rather than a behaviour list lengthy for the use of meaningless numerals.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Students employ it like a bonding chant in the schoolyard: one says it and the other children answer to show they are the same group. It’s like a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an common expression they share. In my view it has any specific importance to them; they simply understand it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the newest phenomenon is, they want to experience belonging to it.

It’s forbidden in my classroom, nevertheless – it triggers a reminder if they call it out – similar to any other verbal interruption is. It’s particularly challenging in mathematics classes. But my class at fifth grade are pre-teens, so they’re fairly adherent to the rules, whereas I appreciate that at secondary [school] it may be a distinct scenario.

I’ve been a teacher for fifteen years, and these phenomena continue for three or four weeks. This craze will die out shortly – they always do, notably once their younger siblings start saying it and it’s no longer trendy. Subsequently they will be focused on the following phenomenon.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a foreign language school. It was mainly boys uttering it. I educated students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent among the less experienced learners. I had no idea what it was at the time, but being twenty-four and I recognized it was merely a viral phenomenon similar to when I was a student.

Such phenomena are always shifting. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t particularly appear as frequently in the learning environment. Unlike “six-seven”, ““the skibidi trend” was never written on the whiteboard in lessons, so students were less equipped to adopt it.

I just ignore it, or occasionally I will smile with the students if I inadvertently mention it, striving to relate to them and appreciate that it’s merely contemporary trends. I think they simply desire to feel that sense of belonging and friendship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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