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Around the UK, students have been exclaiming the expression ““six-seven” during instruction in the newest internet-inspired phenomenon to spread through educational institutions.

Whereas some educators have decided to calmly disregard the phenomenon, others have accepted it. Five instructors explain how they’re coping.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

During September, I had been talking to my eleventh grade class about studying for their secondary school examinations in June. I can’t remember specifically what it was in reference to, but I said something like “ … if you’re aiming for marks six, seven …” and the whole class burst out laughing. It surprised me totally off guard.

My initial reaction was that I had created an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they detected a quality in my accent that sounded funny. Somewhat annoyed – but genuinely curious and mindful that they weren’t trying to be malicious – I asked them to clarify. Frankly speaking, the explanation they then gave didn’t provide much difference – I continued to have no idea.

What might have rendered it particularly humorous was the evaluating movement I had executed while speaking. Subsequently I found out that this often accompanies “six-seven”: I had intended it to help convey the act of me thinking aloud.

With the aim of end the trend I aim to bring it up as often as I can. No strategy deflates a phenomenon like this more emphatically than an grown-up striving to join in.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Knowing about it helps so that you can prevent just unintentionally stating statements like “well, there were 6, 7 hundred jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the number combination is unpreventable, possessing a firm student discipline system and expectations on student conduct proves beneficial, as you can deal with it as you would any different disturbance, but I haven’t actually had to do that. Rules are one thing, but if learners embrace what the school is practicing, they will remain more focused by the viral phenomena (especially in instructional hours).

Regarding sixseven, I haven’t lost any instructional minutes, aside from an periodic quizzical look and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. Should you offer oxygen to it, then it becomes a blaze. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would treat any additional disturbance.

There was the mathematical meme phenomenon a few years ago, and there will no doubt be a new phenomenon following this. This is typical youth activity. Back when I was youth, it was doing comedy characters mimicry (truthfully outside the classroom).

Students are unforeseeable, and I think it’s an adult’s job to respond in a approach that guides them in the direction of the path that will help them where they need to go, which, fingers crossed, is completing their studies with certificates as opposed to a behaviour list a mile long for the utilization of arbitrary digits.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Students use it like a bonding chant in the playground: one says it and the other children answer to indicate they’re part of the same group. It resembles a call-and-response or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they share. I don’t think it has any specific meaning to them; they just know it’s a phenomenon to say. No matter what the current trend is, they want to feel part of it.

It’s prohibited in my learning environment, however – it triggers a reminder if they exclaim it – identical to any additional shouting out is. It’s especially tricky in mathematics classes. But my pupils at fifth grade are pre-teens, so they’re fairly accepting of the regulations, while I recognize that at secondary [school] it may be a different matter.

I’ve been a educator for fifteen years, and such trends last for three or four weeks. This phenomenon will fade away in the near future – this consistently happens, especially once their younger siblings begin using it and it stops being trendy. Afterward they shall be focused on the following phenomenon.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I began observing it in August, while instructing in English at a international school. It was primarily young men saying it. I educated students from twelve to eighteen and it was common within the junior students. I had no idea its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I realised it was simply an internet trend similar to when I attended classes.

The crazes are constantly changing. ““Skibidi” was a familiar phenomenon at the time when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t really exist as much in the learning environment. In contrast to ““sixseven”, “skibidi toilet” was never written on the chalkboard in class, so students were less able to adopt it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, striving to relate to them and recognize that it’s simply contemporary trends. I think they just want to feel that sense of belonging and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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