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Around the UK, students have been exclaiming the expression “sixseven” during classes in the newest viral craze to spread through classrooms.

While some educators have chosen to patiently overlook the trend, some have embraced it. A group of instructors explain how they’re dealing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

During September, I had been addressing my year 11 students about studying for their GCSE exams in June. It escapes me precisely what it was in reference to, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re targeting results six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It caught me totally off guard.

My first thought was that I might have delivered an reference to an offensive subject, or that they perceived an element of my pronunciation that sounded funny. Slightly exasperated – but genuinely curious and aware that they had no intention of being hurtful – I got them to clarify. Honestly, the clarification they offered failed to create greater understanding – I continued to have minimal understanding.

What might have rendered it particularly humorous was the considering motion I had executed while speaking. I have since found out that this often accompanies ““67”: I meant it to aid in demonstrating the process of me verbalizing thoughts.

With the aim of kill it off I try to bring it up as frequently as I can. No approach diminishes a trend like this more emphatically than an grown-up striving to get involved.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Understanding it assists so that you can steer clear of just accidentally making comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 hundred unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. When the numerical sequence is unpreventable, possessing a rock-solid student discipline system and expectations on learner demeanor proves beneficial, as you can deal with it as you would any additional interruption, but I’ve not really needed to implement that. Policies are necessary, but if pupils buy into what the school is doing, they will become less distracted by the online trends (especially in class periods).

With 67, I haven’t wasted any lesson time, other than for an periodic raised eyebrow and stating “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give attention to it, it evolves into a wildfire. I address it in the identical manner I would handle any different disturbance.

There was the mathematical meme trend a few years ago, and there will no doubt be another craze following this. It’s what kids do. During my own childhood, it was performing Kevin and Perry mimicry (admittedly away from the classroom).

Students are spontaneous, and In my opinion it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a manner that guides them toward the path that will get them where they need to go, which, hopefully, is graduating with academic achievements as opposed to a behaviour list extensive for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Young learners employ it like a connecting expression in the playground: a pupil shouts it and the remaining students reply to indicate they’re part of the same group. It resembles a interactive chant or a sports cheer – an shared vocabulary they share. I believe it has any particular importance to them; they just know it’s a trend to say. Whatever the current trend is, they want to be included in it.

It’s forbidden in my teaching space, however – it’s a warning if they call it out – similar to any additional verbal interruption is. It’s particularly challenging in maths lessons. But my pupils at primary level are pre-teens, so they’re fairly adherent to the guidelines, although I understand that at secondary [school] it might be a separate situation.

I’ve been a educator for 15 years, and such trends last for three or four weeks. This phenomenon will fade away shortly – it invariably occurs, particularly once their little brothers and sisters start saying it and it’s no longer cool. Subsequently they will be on to the following phenomenon.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I started noticing it in August, while instructing in English at a language institute. It was mostly male students uttering it. I instructed ages 12 to 18 and it was prevalent within the junior students. I didn’t understand what it was at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon comparable to when I attended classes.

The crazes are continuously evolving. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend at the time when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t particularly exist as much in the classroom. Unlike ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the board in lessons, so pupils were less prepared to pick up on it.

I just ignore it, or occasionally I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, trying to understand them and understand that it is just pop culture. In my opinion they just want to feel that sense of belonging and friendship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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