‘You just have to laugh’: five UK teachers on coping with ‘six-seven’ in the classroom

Throughout the UK, school pupils have been calling out the phrase “sixseven” during lessons in the newest meme-based phenomenon to spread through educational institutions.

While some educators have decided to stoically ignore the phenomenon, different educators have incorporated it. Several instructors share how they’re coping.

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

Back in September, I had been talking to my year 11 tutor group about studying for their qualification tests in June. I can’t remember exactly what it was in relation to, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re targeting results six, seven …” and the whole class erupted in laughter. It caught me totally off guard.

My first thought was that I might have delivered an hint at something rude, or that they perceived something in my pronunciation that sounded funny. Somewhat exasperated – but honestly intrigued and mindful that they weren’t trying to be malicious – I persuaded them to elaborate. To be honest, the clarification they provided didn’t make significant clarification – I remained with minimal understanding.

What could have made it particularly humorous was the considering motion I had executed while speaking. I later found out that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: I had intended it to assist in expressing the action of me verbalizing thoughts.

In order to end the trend I try to bring it up as often as I can. Nothing reduces a trend like this more emphatically than an adult trying to participate.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Understanding it assists so that you can avoid just blundering into remarks like “indeed, there were 6, 7 hundred unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. If the number combination is inevitable, having a firm student discipline system and requirements on student conduct proves beneficial, as you can address it as you would any different interruption, but I haven’t actually had to do that. Policies are necessary, but if learners buy into what the learning environment is implementing, they will become less distracted by the online trends (particularly in instructional hours).

Concerning six-seven, I haven’t sacrificed any lesson time, except for an periodic raised eyebrow and stating “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give attention to it, it transforms into a blaze. I handle it in the same way I would treat any different disruption.

Previously existed the mathematical meme phenomenon a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge a new phenomenon after this. This is typical youth activity. When I was childhood, it was doing comedy characters impersonations (truthfully away from the classroom).

Young people are unpredictable, and In my opinion it falls to the teacher to behave in a way that steers them toward the course that will help them to their educational goals, which, hopefully, is completing their studies with qualifications as opposed to a behaviour list extensive for the use of meaningless numerals.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Students employ it like a unifying phrase in the recreation area: one says it and the remaining students reply to show they are the same group. It resembles a interactive chant or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they use. I believe it has any particular importance to them; they just know it’s a phenomenon to say. Whatever the latest craze is, they seek to experience belonging to it.

It’s forbidden in my teaching space, however – it results in a caution if they call it out – similar to any other verbal interruption is. It’s especially challenging in maths lessons. But my students at primary level are pre-teens, so they’re fairly adherent to the regulations, whereas I recognize that at teen education it may be a distinct scenario.

I’ve been a teacher for fifteen years, and such trends continue for a month or so. This trend will diminish in the near future – they always do, particularly once their junior family members begin using it and it stops being cool. Afterward they shall be on to the subsequent trend.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I first detected it in August, while instructing in English at a foreign language school. It was mainly young men saying it. I taught students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent with the junior students. I didn’t understand what it was at the time, but being twenty-four and I understood it was simply an internet trend comparable to when I was at school.

Such phenomena are always shifting. ““Toilet meme” was a popular meme at the time when I was at my training school, but it didn’t particularly appear as frequently in the learning environment. Differing from ““67”, “skibidi toilet” was never written on the whiteboard in class, so pupils were less equipped to adopt it.

I simply disregard it, or sometimes I will chuckle alongside them if I unintentionally utter it, attempting to empathise with them and recognize that it’s merely youth culture. I believe they simply desire to enjoy that sensation of togetherness and friendship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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