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Around the UK, learners have been calling out the expression ““six-seven” during classes in the most recent viral trend to sweep across educational institutions.

While some instructors have opted to calmly disregard the craze, some have incorporated it. A group of teachers describe how they’re coping.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Earlier in September, I had been speaking with my secondary school tutor group about preparing for their secondary school examinations in June. I don’t recall exactly what it was in connection with, but I said something like “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the entire group erupted in laughter. It took me entirely unexpectedly.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an hint at something rude, or that they detected an element of my pronunciation that appeared amusing. Slightly frustrated – but genuinely curious and conscious that they weren’t trying to be malicious – I persuaded them to elaborate. To be honest, the clarification they provided didn’t make greater understanding – I remained with minimal understanding.

What could have rendered it particularly humorous was the considering movement I had executed while speaking. I have since found out that this often accompanies “six-seven”: I had intended it to assist in expressing the process of me verbalizing thoughts.

To end the trend I try to bring it up as much as I can. No strategy diminishes a trend like this more emphatically than an teacher trying to get involved.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Understanding it aids so that you can prevent just unintentionally stating comments like “for example, there existed 6, 7 thousand unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the digit pairing is inevitable, maintaining a strong classroom conduct rules and standards on student conduct really helps, as you can address it as you would any different disturbance, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Rules are one thing, but if pupils accept what the learning environment is doing, they will become better concentrated by the online trends (particularly in class periods).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t lost any teaching periods, except for an periodic eyebrow raise and commenting “yes, that’s a number, well done”. When you provide focus on it, it evolves into a wildfire. I address it in the same way I would manage any additional interruption.

There was the 9 + 10 = 21 craze a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend after this. This is typical youth activity. Back when I was growing up, it was performing comedy characters impersonations (truthfully outside the classroom).

Students are unforeseeable, and I believe it’s an adult’s job to respond in a approach that steers them toward the direction that will enable them to their educational goals, which, fingers crossed, is coming out with qualifications rather than a disciplinary record lengthy for the use of arbitrary digits.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

The children use it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the other children answer to demonstrate they belong to the equivalent circle. It resembles a interactive chant or a sports cheer – an shared vocabulary they possess. I don’t think it has any specific significance to them; they just know it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they want to be included in it.

It’s banned in my classroom, though – it triggers a reminder if they exclaim it – similar to any additional verbal interruption is. It’s especially difficult in numeracy instruction. But my students at fifth grade are children aged nine to ten, so they’re fairly accepting of the rules, whereas I recognize that at high school it might be a separate situation.

I’ve been a educator for fifteen years, and these phenomena persist for a month or so. This phenomenon will fade away shortly – they always do, especially once their younger siblings start saying it and it stops being trendy. Then they’ll be on to the following phenomenon.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I started noticing it in August, while instructing in English at a foreign language school. It was primarily young men repeating it. I instructed teenagers and it was widespread among the junior students. I didn’t understand what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I realised it was just a meme similar to when I was a student.

These trends are always shifting. ““Skibidi” was a well-known trend during the period when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t particularly occur as often in the educational setting. Unlike ““sixseven”, “skibidi toilet” was not scribbled on the board in instruction, so learners were less equipped to adopt it.

I typically overlook it, or periodically I will smile with the students if I accidentally say it, trying to understand them and understand that it is just contemporary trends. I think they simply desire to enjoy that sensation of togetherness and friendship.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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