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Throughout the UK, school pupils have been shouting out the phrase “sixseven” during classes in the newest viral trend to spread through classrooms.

While some educators have decided to stoically ignore the phenomenon, some have accepted it. Several instructors describe how they’re dealing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

During September, I had been speaking with my year 11 students about preparing for their secondary school examinations in June. It escapes me precisely what it was in connection with, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It caught me completely by surprise.

My immediate assumption was that I’d made an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they detected a quality in my accent that seemed humorous. Somewhat exasperated – but honestly intrigued and conscious that they weren’t trying to be malicious – I got them to clarify. Honestly, the clarification they then gave didn’t make greater understanding – I still had little comprehension.

What possibly caused it to be particularly humorous was the considering movement I had made while speaking. I later found out that this typically pairs with ““sixseven”: I meant it to help convey the process of me thinking aloud.

In order to kill it off I aim to reference it as frequently as I can. No approach diminishes a trend like this more effectively than an teacher attempting to join in.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Knowing about it helps so that you can prevent just unintentionally stating statements like “for example, there existed 6, 7 hundred jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the numerical sequence is unavoidable, possessing a firm classroom conduct rules and requirements on student conduct proves beneficial, as you can address it as you would any different interruption, but I rarely needed to implement that. Rules are necessary, but if pupils accept what the learning environment is implementing, they’ll be better concentrated by the internet crazes (especially in lesson time).

With sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any teaching periods, aside from an periodic quizzical look and stating “yes, that’s a number, well done”. Should you offer attention to it, then it becomes an inferno. I address it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any different disruption.

Earlier occurred the 9 + 10 = 21 phenomenon a few years ago, and certainly there will appear a different trend after this. This is typical youth activity. When I was childhood, it was imitating television personalities impressions (truthfully out of the learning space).

Children are unforeseeable, and I think it’s an adult’s job to react in a manner that redirects them in the direction of the path that will enable them where they need to go, which, fingers crossed, is completing their studies with academic achievements as opposed to a disciplinary record a mile long for the utilization of arbitrary digits.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Students employ it like a connecting expression in the playground: one says it and the others respond to indicate they’re part of the identical community. It resembles a call-and-response or a football chant – an common expression they possess. I don’t think it has any specific meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a thing to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they desire to experience belonging to it.

It’s forbidden in my learning environment, however – it triggers a reminder if they shout it out – similar to any different calling out is. It’s particularly challenging in numeracy instruction. But my class at primary level are pre-teens, so they’re fairly accepting of the rules, while I recognize that at secondary [school] it may be a separate situation.

I’ve been a educator for fifteen years, and such trends continue for three or four weeks. This craze will die out in the near future – this consistently happens, particularly once their junior family members start saying it and it ceases to be cool. Subsequently they will be focused on the next thing.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I started noticing it in August, while educating in English language at a international school. It was mainly boys uttering it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was prevalent among the junior students. I was unaware what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I recognized it was just a meme similar to when I attended classes.

These trends are constantly changing. ““Skibidi” was a popular meme at the time when I was at my training school, but it didn’t really appear as frequently in the learning environment. Differing from ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was never written on the chalkboard in lessons, so students were less able to embrace it.

I just ignore it, or occasionally I will laugh with them if I inadvertently mention it, striving to empathise with them and recognize that it’s simply pop culture. I think they just want to experience that feeling of belonging and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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