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Around the UK, school pupils have been calling out the expression “sixseven” during classes in the most recent viral craze to take over schools.

Whereas some teachers have decided to stoically ignore the phenomenon, different educators have embraced it. Five teachers describe how they’re coping.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Earlier in September, I had been addressing my eleventh grade tutor group about studying for their secondary school examinations in June. It escapes me precisely what it was in reference to, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re targeting results six, seven …” and the whole class started chuckling. It caught me totally off guard.

My initial reaction was that I might have delivered an hint at an offensive subject, or that they’d heard something in my speech pattern that seemed humorous. A bit exasperated – but honestly intrigued and conscious that they weren’t malicious – I asked them to clarify. To be honest, the clarification they offered didn’t make significant clarification – I still had minimal understanding.

What might have caused it to be particularly humorous was the weighing-up movement I had executed while speaking. I later discovered that this typically pairs with “six-seven”: I had intended it to help convey the action of me speaking my mind.

With the aim of kill it off I aim to reference it as often as I can. No approach diminishes a craze like this more emphatically than an teacher trying to get involved.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Being aware of it aids so that you can avoid just accidentally making comments like “well, there were 6, 7 hundred unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. If the numerical sequence is unavoidable, having a firm classroom conduct rules and requirements on student conduct is advantageous, as you can deal with it as you would any additional disruption, but I haven’t actually been required to take that action. Guidelines are necessary, but if students buy into what the learning environment is doing, they’ll be more focused by the viral phenomena (particularly in class periods).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any teaching periods, aside from an occasional raised eyebrow and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. Should you offer attention to it, it evolves into a blaze. I treat it in the identical manner I would manage any other disruption.

Previously existed the nine plus ten equals twenty-one trend a while back, and there will no doubt be another craze subsequently. That’s children’s behavior. When I was childhood, it was imitating Kevin and Perry impressions (honestly outside the learning space).

Children are unpredictable, and In my opinion it falls to the teacher to behave in a manner that steers them toward the path that will help them where they need to go, which, hopefully, is coming out with certificates as opposed to a disciplinary record extensive for the employment of random numbers.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Students utilize it like a bonding chant in the recreation area: a student calls it and the other children answer to demonstrate they belong to the equivalent circle. It’s like a call-and-response or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they possess. In my view it has any particular importance to them; they merely recognize it’s a thing to say. No matter what the current trend is, they desire to feel part of it.

It’s forbidden in my learning environment, however – it triggers a reminder if they call it out – identical to any additional shouting out is. It’s notably challenging in mathematics classes. But my pupils at primary level are pre-teens, so they’re relatively accepting of the guidelines, although I appreciate that at high school it could be a different matter.

I’ve been a teacher for fifteen years, and such trends persist for a month or so. This trend will die out in the near future – it invariably occurs, particularly once their little brothers and sisters commence repeating it and it stops being trendy. Subsequently they will be engaged with the following phenomenon.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I started noticing it in August, while educating in English language at a foreign language school. It was mostly young men saying it. I instructed teenagers and it was widespread within the junior students. I didn’t understand its meaning at the time, but as a young adult and I understood it was merely a viral phenomenon comparable to when I was a student.

Such phenomena are continuously evolving. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t really occur as often in the learning environment. Unlike ““sixseven”, ““the skibidi trend” was not scribbled on the chalkboard in instruction, so pupils were less prepared to adopt it.

I simply disregard it, or sometimes I will smile with the students if I unintentionally utter it, striving to understand them and appreciate that it’s merely youth culture. I believe they just want to enjoy that sensation of belonging and camaraderie.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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