🔗 Share this article

Across the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the phrase “sixseven” during lessons in the most recent meme-based craze to take over classrooms.

While some educators have opted to calmly disregard the trend, some have incorporated it. Several teachers describe how they’re coping.

‘My initial assumption was that I’d uttered something offensive’

Earlier in September, I had been addressing my year 11 tutor group about studying for their GCSE exams in June. I don’t recall exactly what it was in relation to, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting marks six, seven …” and the whole class erupted in laughter. It surprised me completely by surprise.

My first thought was that I had created an hint at something rude, or that they perceived something in my accent that seemed humorous. A bit exasperated – but truly interested and conscious that they weren’t hurtful – I persuaded them to explain. Frankly speaking, the clarification they then gave didn’t provide significant clarification – I remained with minimal understanding.

What possibly caused it to be particularly humorous was the weighing-up movement I had made while speaking. I later found out that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: I had intended it to aid in demonstrating the act of me speaking my mind.

In order to eliminate it I attempt to mention it as much as I can. Nothing reduces a phenomenon like this more thoroughly than an grown-up striving to get involved.

‘If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno’

Knowing about it assists so that you can prevent just blundering into remarks like “indeed, there were 6, 7 hundred unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. When the number combination is unpreventable, possessing a strong student discipline system and standards on learner demeanor really helps, as you can sanction it as you would any different disruption, but I’ve not really had to do that. Policies are one thing, but if learners embrace what the school is doing, they’ll be better concentrated by the online trends (at least in lesson time).

Regarding sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any teaching periods, other than for an periodic raised eyebrow and saying “yes, that’s a number, well done”. When you provide oxygen to it, it evolves into an inferno. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would manage any other interruption.

Previously existed the 9 + 10 = 21 phenomenon a few years ago, 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 (truthfully out of the learning space).

Children are unpredictable, and In my opinion it falls to the teacher to respond in a manner that redirects them toward the course that will get them where they need to go, which, fingers crossed, is coming out with qualifications rather than a conduct report lengthy for the use of arbitrary digits.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

The children employ it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the other children answer to show they are the equivalent circle. It’s similar to a call-and-response or a sports cheer – an shared vocabulary they share. I believe it has any particular meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a thing to say. Whatever the latest craze is, they desire to experience belonging to it.

It’s banned in my classroom, nevertheless – it results in a caution if they call it out – similar to any additional shouting out is. It’s notably difficult in mathematics classes. But my class at fifth grade are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re relatively adherent to the rules, although I appreciate that at secondary [school] it could be a distinct scenario.

I have served as a teacher for a decade and a half, and these phenomena persist for three or four weeks. This craze will diminish in the near future – it invariably occurs, particularly once their junior family members start saying it and it stops being cool. Subsequently they will be on to the next thing.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I first detected it in August, while instructing in English at a language institute. It was mainly boys saying it. I educated students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent within the less experienced learners. I had no idea its meaning at the time, but as a young adult and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon comparable to when I was at school.

These trends are continuously evolving. ““Skibidi” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my educational institute, but it failed to appear as frequently in the classroom. Differing from ““sixseven”, “skibidi toilet” was never written on the chalkboard in class, so pupils were less equipped to embrace it.

I simply disregard it, or occasionally I will smile with the students if I unintentionally utter it, striving to understand them and recognize that it is just youth culture. In my opinion they merely seek to experience that feeling of community and companionship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

I have performed the {job|profession