‘You just have to laugh’: several UK teachers on dealing with ‘‘sixseven’ in the school environment
Throughout the UK, school pupils have been shouting out the words ““six-seven” during classes in the latest viral craze to spread through classrooms.
Although some teachers have decided to patiently overlook the trend, some have accepted it. Five educators share how they’re coping.
‘I thought I had said something rude’
During September, I had been speaking with my year 11 tutor group about preparing for their secondary school examinations in June. I don’t recall specifically what it was in connection with, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re targeting marks six, seven …” and the whole class burst out laughing. It caught me entirely unexpectedly.
My immediate assumption was that I might have delivered an allusion to something rude, or that they perceived an element of my accent that sounded funny. Somewhat exasperated – but truly interested and aware that they had no intention of being hurtful – I asked them to explain. Honestly, the clarification they offered didn’t make much difference – I remained with no idea.
What possibly made it extra funny was the evaluating motion I had executed while speaking. I later discovered that this frequently goes with “six-seven”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the process of me thinking aloud.
To eliminate it I attempt to mention it as often as I can. No strategy diminishes a craze like this more emphatically than an teacher striving to join in.
‘If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno’
Knowing about it aids so that you can prevent just accidentally making remarks like “well, there were 6, 7 thousand people without work in Germany in 1933”. When the numerical sequence is unavoidable, possessing a rock-solid classroom conduct rules and standards on pupil behavior really helps, as you can address it as you would any additional disruption, but I rarely needed to implement that. Policies are necessary, but if pupils embrace what the school is doing, they’ll be less distracted by the online trends (particularly in lesson time).
Concerning sixseven, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, except for an infrequent quizzical look and commenting “yes, that’s a number, well done”. When you provide attention to it, then it becomes a wildfire. I address it in the identical manner I would manage any different interruption.
Previously existed the 9 + 10 = 21 trend a while back, and certainly there will appear a different trend subsequently. This is typical youth activity. During my own growing up, it was performing television personalities mimicry (truthfully outside the learning space).
Students are spontaneous, and In my opinion it falls to the teacher to behave in a approach that redirects them toward the course that will get them to their educational goals, which, hopefully, is graduating with certificates instead of a disciplinary record lengthy for the employment of random numbers.
‘They want to feel a part of a group’
Young learners utilize it like a unifying phrase in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the other children answer to indicate they’re part of the equivalent circle. It resembles a call-and-response or a football chant – an agreed language they use. I don’t think it has any specific meaning to them; they simply understand it’s a trend to say. Regardless of what the latest craze is, they seek to be included in it.
It’s prohibited in my learning environment, though – it’s a warning if they shout it out – similar to any additional calling out is. It’s notably tricky in maths lessons. But my pupils at primary level are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re relatively accepting of the rules, whereas I appreciate that at high school it might be a separate situation.
I have worked as a instructor for 15 years, and these phenomena last for a few weeks. This phenomenon will diminish in the near future – it invariably occurs, particularly once their little brothers and sisters begin using it and it stops being cool. Subsequently they will be engaged with the next thing.
‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’
I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a language institute. It was mostly male students saying it. I educated teenagers and it was widespread within the younger pupils. I didn’t understand its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon comparable to when I was at school.
The crazes are continuously evolving. “Skibidi toilet” was a popular meme during the period when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t really exist as much in the learning environment. Differing from ““67”, ““that particular meme” was not inscribed on the whiteboard in lessons, so pupils were less equipped to embrace it.
I simply disregard it, or periodically I will smile with the students if I inadvertently mention it, attempting to relate to them and understand that it’s merely youth culture. In my opinion they just want to experience that feeling of community and camaraderie.
‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’
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