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Across the UK, students have been exclaiming the phrase ““six-seven” during instruction in the latest internet-inspired craze to take over educational institutions.

Whereas some educators have decided to patiently overlook the craze, some have accepted it. A group of teachers describe how they’re coping.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Earlier in September, I had been speaking with my year 11 tutor group about getting ready for their qualification tests in June. I don’t recall exactly what it was in relation to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re targeting marks six, seven …” and the complete classroom erupted in laughter. It surprised me completely by surprise.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they’d heard something in my accent that sounded funny. Somewhat annoyed – but truly interested and mindful that they weren’t malicious – I asked them to elaborate. To be honest, the clarification they then gave failed to create significant clarification – I remained with little comprehension.

What possibly made it particularly humorous was the evaluating motion I had executed while speaking. Subsequently I found out that this often accompanies “six-seven”: I had intended it to aid in demonstrating the process of me thinking aloud.

To end the trend I try to reference it as frequently as I can. No approach deflates a phenomenon like this more effectively than an grown-up attempting to participate.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Understanding it helps so that you can steer clear of just blundering into comments like “for example, there existed 6, 7 million jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. If the numerical sequence is inevitable, maintaining a strong classroom conduct rules and requirements on student conduct really helps, as you can address it as you would any different disruption, but I rarely had to do that. Rules are one thing, but if students embrace what the school is practicing, they will remain less distracted by the viral phenomena (especially in class periods).

With six-seven, I haven’t lost any teaching periods, except for an infrequent quizzical look and saying ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. When you provide focus on it, it evolves into a blaze. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any additional disturbance.

Previously existed the 9 + 10 = 21 trend a previous period, and certainly there will appear another craze after this. This is typical youth activity. During my own childhood, it was performing comedy characters impersonations (honestly outside the school environment).

Young people are spontaneous, and I believe it’s an adult’s job to behave in a approach that guides them toward the course that will help them toward their academic objectives, which, fingers crossed, is completing their studies with academic achievements instead of a disciplinary record extensive for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Young learners use it like a bonding chant in the recreation area: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to show they are the equivalent circle. It resembles a interactive chant or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they use. I believe it has any specific significance to them; they just know it’s a thing to say. Whatever the current trend is, they desire to be included in it.

It’s banned in my learning environment, though – it triggers a reminder if they shout it out – similar to any other verbal interruption is. It’s notably tricky in maths lessons. But my class at year 5 are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re quite accepting of the rules, although I recognize that at high school it could be a separate situation.

I have worked as a educator for fifteen years, and these phenomena last for three or four weeks. This craze will fade away in the near future – they always do, particularly once their little brothers and sisters start saying it and it’s no longer trendy. Afterward they shall be on to the subsequent trend.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I first detected it in August, while instructing in English at a language institute. It was mainly male students uttering it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was common within the junior students. I had no idea its meaning at the time, but as a young adult and I recognized it was just a meme comparable to when I was a student.

The crazes are continuously evolving. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my training school, but it didn’t particularly occur as often in the classroom. In contrast to “six-seven”, “skibidi toilet” was never written on the board in class, so students were less able to pick up on it.

I simply disregard it, or occasionally I will chuckle alongside them if I accidentally say it, trying to empathise with them and recognize that it’s merely contemporary trends. I believe they merely seek to enjoy that sensation of community and camaraderie.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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