‘You just have to laugh’: five UK teachers on handling ‘‘67’ in the educational setting

Across the UK, learners have been calling out the expression ““six-seven” during classes in the latest internet-inspired craze to take over classrooms.

Whereas some teachers have chosen to patiently overlook the phenomenon, some have incorporated it. Several instructors explain how they’re dealing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

During September, I had been speaking with my year 11 students about getting ready for their qualification tests in June. I can’t remember specifically what it was in relation to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It took me entirely unexpectedly.

My immediate assumption was that I might have delivered an allusion to an inappropriate topic, or that they’d heard an element of my pronunciation that seemed humorous. A bit frustrated – but genuinely curious and mindful that they weren’t mean – I asked them to explain. To be honest, the clarification they offered failed to create much difference – I remained with no idea.

What possibly rendered it extra funny was the evaluating motion I had performed during speaking. Subsequently I found out that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the process of me speaking my mind.

To end the trend I aim to reference it as often as I can. Nothing deflates a craze like this more thoroughly than an adult attempting to participate.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Understanding it aids so that you can steer clear of just unintentionally stating comments like “well, there were 6, 7 thousand people without work in Germany in 1933”. If the digit pairing is unavoidable, having a rock-solid school behaviour policy and expectations on pupil behavior is advantageous, as you can sanction it as you would any different interruption, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Policies are one thing, but if learners accept what the school is practicing, they will remain less distracted by the online trends (at least in class periods).

Regarding sixseven, I haven’t lost any instructional minutes, other than for an infrequent eyebrow raise and stating ““correct, those are digits, good job”. When you provide focus on it, it transforms into an inferno. I handle it in the same way I would handle any additional disturbance.

Earlier occurred the nine plus ten equals twenty-one trend a few years ago, and there will no doubt be another craze after this. It’s what kids do. During my own growing up, it was doing Kevin and Perry impersonations (admittedly out of the school environment).

Children are unforeseeable, and I believe it’s an adult’s job to respond in a way that guides them back to the direction that will enable them to their educational goals, which, with luck, is completing their studies with certificates instead of a disciplinary record extensive for the utilization of meaningless numerals.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Students use it like a connecting expression in the recreation area: a pupil shouts it and the other children answer to demonstrate they belong to the identical community. It’s like a verbal exchange or a football chant – an shared vocabulary they possess. I don’t think it has any distinct meaning to them; they simply understand it’s a phenomenon to say. Whatever the latest craze is, they seek to be included in it.

It’s forbidden in my learning environment, though – it’s a warning if they shout it out – just like any different shouting out is. It’s particularly challenging in mathematics classes. But my class at year 5 are pre-teens, so they’re quite adherent to the regulations, whereas I appreciate that at high school it might be a different matter.

I’ve been a teacher for fifteen years, and these crazes continue for a month or so. This phenomenon will diminish shortly – it invariably occurs, particularly once their junior family members begin using it and it’s no longer fashionable. Then they’ll be on to the subsequent trend.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I started noticing it in August, while educating in English language at a language institute. It was primarily young men saying it. I instructed ages 12 to 18 and it was common among the junior students. I didn’t understand what it was at the time, but being twenty-four and I realised it was just a meme similar to when I was at school.

Such phenomena are continuously evolving. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t particularly occur as often in the classroom. Unlike ““67”, ““that particular meme” was not inscribed on the board in instruction, so students were less able to embrace it.

I simply disregard it, or occasionally I will chuckle alongside them if I unintentionally utter it, striving to empathise with them and appreciate that it’s simply contemporary trends. I believe they just want to enjoy that sensation of belonging and companionship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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