‘You just have to laugh’: a quintet of UK teachers on dealing with ‘six-seven’ in the classroom

Throughout the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the phrase ““six-seven” during lessons in the latest meme-based phenomenon to take over schools.

While some educators have opted to patiently overlook the phenomenon, different educators have accepted it. Several instructors describe how they’re coping.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Back in September, I had been speaking with my year 11 tutor group about getting ready for their GCSE exams in June. It escapes me precisely what it was in connection with, but I said something like “ … if you’re working to results six, seven …” and the whole class erupted in laughter. It caught me completely by surprise.

My immediate assumption was that I’d made an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they’d heard a quality in my accent that sounded funny. Slightly exasperated – but honestly intrigued and aware that they had no intention of being mean – I persuaded them to clarify. Honestly, the explanation they provided didn’t make much difference – I remained with little comprehension.

What could have made it especially amusing was the considering gesture I had performed during speaking. I have since learned that this frequently goes with ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to help convey the act of me verbalizing thoughts.

To kill it off I try to bring it up as much as I can. No approach deflates a phenomenon like this more thoroughly than an grown-up striving to get involved.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Being aware of it aids so that you can avoid just blundering into statements like “well, there were 6, 7 thousand unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. If the digit pairing is unavoidable, maintaining a strong school behaviour policy and standards on learner demeanor is advantageous, as you can deal with it as you would any different disturbance, but I rarely had to do that. Policies are important, but if students accept what the learning environment is practicing, they will become less distracted by the internet crazes (particularly in instructional hours).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, other than for an occasional quizzical look and saying “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would treat any additional disturbance.

Earlier occurred the 9 + 10 = 21 phenomenon a few years ago, and there will no doubt be a new phenomenon subsequently. It’s what kids do. During my own youth, it was imitating comedy characters mimicry (admittedly outside the classroom).

Students are unforeseeable, and I believe it’s an adult’s job to behave in a approach that guides them back to the direction that will get them where they need to go, which, with luck, is completing their studies with qualifications as opposed to a disciplinary record extensive for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Students use it like a unifying phrase in the recreation area: a student calls it and the other children answer to demonstrate they belong to the identical community. It resembles a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they possess. In my view it has any particular significance to them; they merely recognize it’s a thing to say. Whatever the current trend is, they want to feel part of it.

It’s prohibited in my classroom, however – it results in a caution if they call it out – similar to any other calling out is. It’s particularly challenging in mathematics classes. But my students at year 5 are pre-teens, so they’re relatively compliant with the regulations, whereas I appreciate that at secondary [school] it might be a distinct scenario.

I have served as a instructor for a decade and a half, and these phenomena continue for a few weeks. This trend will diminish in the near future – they always do, particularly once their junior family members start saying it and it’s no longer fashionable. Then they’ll be focused on the next thing.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I began observing it in August, while instructing in English at a foreign language school. It was mainly male students saying it. I taught teenagers and it was widespread with the junior students. I was unaware what it was at the time, but being twenty-four and I understood it was simply an internet trend comparable to when I was at school.

These trends are constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a popular meme back when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t particularly appear as frequently in the educational setting. Differing from ““sixseven”, ““the skibidi trend” was not scribbled on the board in instruction, so students were less prepared to adopt it.

I simply disregard it, or periodically I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, trying to relate to them and appreciate that it is just contemporary trends. In my opinion they merely seek to enjoy that sensation of togetherness and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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George Brown
George Brown

A passionate gamer and tech enthusiast, Elara shares her experiences and insights to inspire others in the digital world.