‘Sometimes you’ve got to chuckle’: five UK teachers on coping with ‘‘sixseven’ in the school environment

Throughout the UK, students have been calling out the words “sixseven” during classes in the most recent viral trend to spread through schools.

Whereas some teachers have chosen to calmly disregard the trend, others have accepted it. Several instructors share how they’re coping.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Earlier in September, I had been talking to my eleventh grade class about preparing for their GCSE exams in June. I can’t remember precisely what it was in connection with, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re aiming for marks six, seven …” and the entire group erupted in laughter. It took me entirely unexpectedly.

My immediate assumption was that I might have delivered an allusion to an offensive subject, or that they’d heard something in my speech pattern that sounded funny. Slightly frustrated – but truly interested and aware that they had no intention of being malicious – I got them to explain. Honestly, the description they provided didn’t make much difference – I remained with little comprehension.

What might have made it particularly humorous was the weighing-up gesture I had executed while speaking. Subsequently I found out that this often accompanies ““67”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the action of me verbalizing thoughts.

With the aim of end the trend I try to bring it up as much as I can. Nothing diminishes a phenomenon like this more emphatically than an grown-up trying to get involved.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Being aware of it aids so that you can steer clear of just blundering into remarks like “for example, there existed 6, 7 hundred jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the digit pairing is inevitable, maintaining a firm classroom conduct rules and requirements on learner demeanor proves beneficial, as you can sanction it as you would any different interruption, but I rarely needed to implement that. Guidelines are one thing, but if students accept what the educational institution is doing, they will remain better concentrated by the online trends (at least in lesson time).

Regarding sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any teaching periods, except for an periodic raised eyebrow and commenting ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. If you give focus on it, it evolves into a wildfire. I treat it in the same way I would manage any different disruption.

Previously existed the nine plus ten equals twenty-one craze a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend following this. It’s what kids do. During my own youth, it was performing comedy characters impersonations (honestly away from the school environment).

Young people are unforeseeable, and I believe it’s an adult’s job to react in a way that redirects them toward the course that will help them to their educational goals, which, hopefully, is coming out with certificates as opposed to a disciplinary record extensive for the utilization of meaningless numerals.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Young learners employ it like a bonding chant in the schoolyard: one says it and the others respond to demonstrate they belong to the equivalent circle. It resembles a verbal exchange or a football chant – an agreed language they share. I believe it has any specific significance to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. No matter what the newest phenomenon is, they want to experience belonging to it.

It’s banned in my classroom, though – it’s a warning if they call it out – identical to any different calling out is. It’s particularly difficult in maths lessons. But my class at primary level are pre-teens, so they’re relatively accepting of the rules, whereas I understand that at high school it may be a different matter.

I have served as a teacher for fifteen years, and these crazes persist for three or four weeks. This craze will fade away soon – it invariably occurs, especially once their younger siblings commence repeating it and it ceases to be fashionable. Subsequently they will be focused on the next thing.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a international school. It was primarily male students repeating it. I educated students from twelve to eighteen and it was common with the less experienced learners. I was unaware what it was at the time, but being twenty-four and I realised it was simply an internet trend comparable to when I attended classes.

Such phenomena are constantly changing. ““Skibidi” was a popular meme during the period when I was at my training school, but it didn’t really appear as frequently in the classroom. In contrast to “six-seven”, “skibidi toilet” was not scribbled on the chalkboard in lessons, so students were less able to pick up on it.

I typically overlook it, or occasionally I will smile with the students if I accidentally say it, attempting to empathise with them and understand that it’s merely pop culture. I think they just want to experience that feeling of togetherness and friendship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

I have performed the {job|profession