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Around the UK, students have been calling out the phrase ““six-seven” during instruction in the latest internet-inspired trend to sweep across educational institutions.

While some instructors have opted to calmly disregard the trend, others have incorporated it. Five teachers describe how they’re dealing.

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

Earlier in September, I had been speaking with my secondary school class about studying for their qualification tests in June. It escapes me specifically what it was in relation to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re working to results six, seven …” and the entire group erupted in laughter. It took me completely by surprise.

My first thought was that I’d made an allusion to an offensive subject, or that they’d heard a quality in my pronunciation that sounded funny. Slightly exasperated – but honestly intrigued and mindful that they weren’t trying to be malicious – I asked them to clarify. To be honest, the explanation they then gave failed to create greater understanding – I continued to have little comprehension.

What could have caused it to be especially amusing was the weighing-up gesture I had made while speaking. I have since found out that this frequently goes with ““67”: I meant it to help convey the act of me speaking my mind.

In order to kill it off I try to bring it up as much as I can. No strategy reduces a phenomenon like this more thoroughly than an adult attempting to participate.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Understanding it assists so that you can prevent just blundering into comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 hundred jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the numerical sequence is inevitable, possessing a firm school behaviour policy and standards on pupil behavior is advantageous, as you can deal with it as you would any additional interruption, but I haven’t actually been required to take that action. Rules are necessary, but if learners accept what the school is practicing, they’ll be less distracted by the viral phenomena (at least in instructional hours).

With six-seven, I haven’t sacrificed any instructional minutes, other than for an occasional eyebrow raise and stating “yes, that’s a number, well done”. When you provide focus on it, it evolves into an inferno. I handle it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any other disturbance.

Earlier occurred the mathematical meme craze a while back, and there will no doubt be another craze following this. This is typical youth activity. When I was childhood, it was imitating comedy characters mimicry (truthfully out of the classroom).

Students are spontaneous, and I believe it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a way that redirects them in the direction of the path that will enable them toward their academic objectives, which, fingers crossed, is graduating with academic achievements instead of a behaviour list extensive for the utilization of meaningless numerals.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Students utilize it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: a pupil shouts it and the other children answer to indicate they’re part of the same group. It’s like a call-and-response or a stadium slogan – an common expression they share. I believe it has any distinct importance to them; they just know it’s a thing to say. Regardless of what the newest phenomenon is, they seek to be included in it.

It’s banned in my teaching space, however – it’s a warning if they call it out – identical to any additional shouting out is. It’s especially challenging in numeracy instruction. But my class at year 5 are children aged nine to ten, so they’re quite adherent to the regulations, although I understand that at teen education it might be a different matter.

I have worked as a educator for 15 years, and such trends last for a few weeks. This craze will die out soon – it invariably occurs, particularly once their junior family members commence repeating it and it’s no longer trendy. Then they’ll be on to the following phenomenon.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I began observing it in August, while educating in English language at a foreign language school. It was mostly young men uttering it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was widespread with the less experienced learners. I had no idea its meaning at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I realised it was simply an internet trend comparable to when I attended classes.

Such phenomena are always shifting. “Skibidi toilet” was a popular meme at the time when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t really appear as frequently in the learning environment. In contrast to “six-seven”, “skibidi toilet” was never written on the chalkboard in class, so pupils were less equipped to pick up on it.

I typically overlook it, or periodically I will smile with the students if I accidentally say it, striving to relate to them and understand that it is just youth culture. I think they simply desire to feel that sense of togetherness and friendship.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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