‘It’s impossible not to smile’: five UK educators on dealing with ‘six-seven’ in the educational setting

Across the UK, learners have been shouting out the expression “sixseven” during classes in the latest meme-based phenomenon to spread through classrooms.

While some educators have chosen to calmly disregard the craze, some have incorporated it. Several instructors describe how they’re managing.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Back in September, I had been speaking with my year 11 tutor group about preparing for their secondary school examinations in June. I don’t recall exactly what it was in connection with, but I said something like “ … if you’re aiming for marks six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It caught me completely by surprise.

My initial reaction was that I might have delivered an hint at something rude, or that they detected a quality in my speech pattern that sounded funny. Somewhat exasperated – but genuinely curious and mindful that they had no intention of being mean – I persuaded them to elaborate. Honestly, the explanation they provided didn’t make much difference – I still had little comprehension.

What might have rendered it particularly humorous was the evaluating movement I had performed during speaking. Subsequently I found out that this frequently goes with ““67”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the action of me thinking aloud.

In order to end the trend I attempt to mention it as often as I can. Nothing reduces a trend like this more effectively than an adult attempting to get involved.

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

Being aware of it helps so that you can prevent just unintentionally stating remarks like “for example, there existed 6, 7 thousand unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the digit pairing is unpreventable, maintaining a firm school behaviour policy and requirements on student conduct proves beneficial, as you can sanction it as you would any different interruption, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Guidelines are important, but if learners buy into what the educational institution is doing, they will become better concentrated by the online trends (especially in class periods).

With sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any lesson time, other than for an occasional eyebrow raise and stating ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. If you give focus on it, it evolves into a wildfire. I address it in the same way I would manage any different interruption.

Previously existed the nine plus ten equals twenty-one craze a previous period, and there will no doubt be another craze following this. That’s children’s behavior. During my own youth, it was performing comedy characters impersonations (admittedly outside the school environment).

Children are spontaneous, and I think it falls to the teacher to respond in a way that steers them back to the direction that will enable them toward their academic objectives, which, hopefully, is completing their studies with qualifications rather than a disciplinary record a mile long for the utilization of random numbers.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Students use it like a bonding chant in the schoolyard: a pupil shouts it and the others respond to show they are the identical community. It’s similar to a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they possess. I believe it has any particular meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they want to be included in it.

It’s banned in my learning environment, nevertheless – it results in a caution if they shout it out – identical to any other shouting out is. It’s notably challenging in maths lessons. But my class at primary level are pre-teens, so they’re relatively accepting of the guidelines, whereas I recognize that at secondary [school] it could be a separate situation.

I’ve been a instructor for a decade and a half, and these crazes persist for a month or so. This phenomenon will fade away in the near future – they always do, particularly once their little brothers and sisters start saying it and it ceases to be cool. Subsequently they will be focused on the subsequent trend.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a language institute. It was mostly young men repeating it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was widespread among the younger pupils. I didn’t understand its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I recognized it was just a meme akin to when I attended classes.

The crazes are always shifting. ““Skibidi” was a popular meme during the period when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t particularly appear as frequently in the classroom. Differing from “six-seven”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the board in class, so learners were less equipped to embrace it.

I typically overlook it, or occasionally I will chuckle alongside them if I accidentally say it, attempting to empathise with them and recognize that it is just contemporary trends. I think they merely seek to feel that sense of community and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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Jenna Mayer
Jenna Mayer

Elara is a certified life coach and writer passionate about empowering others through practical self-improvement techniques and motivational content.