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Around the UK, students have been calling out the expression “sixseven” during lessons in the most recent viral phenomenon to take over classrooms.

Whereas some instructors have chosen to patiently overlook the phenomenon, others have accepted it. Several instructors explain how they’re managing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

During September, I had been speaking with my eleventh grade class about preparing for their qualification tests in June. It escapes me precisely what it was in reference to, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re working to marks six, seven …” and the complete classroom started chuckling. It caught me entirely unexpectedly.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an allusion to an offensive subject, or that they’d heard an element of my pronunciation that appeared amusing. A bit frustrated – but truly interested and aware that they weren’t trying to be mean – I asked them to explain. Frankly speaking, the explanation they provided failed to create greater understanding – I still had minimal understanding.

What possibly rendered it extra funny was the weighing-up motion I had executed while speaking. I later found out that this frequently goes with ““sixseven”: I meant it to aid in demonstrating the action of me thinking aloud.

With the aim of end the trend I try to mention it as much as I can. No strategy deflates a trend like this more thoroughly than an adult striving to participate.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Knowing about it assists so that you can prevent just blundering into statements like “indeed, there were 6, 7 thousand people without work in Germany in 1933”. When the digit pairing is inevitable, having a strong student discipline system and standards on learner demeanor is advantageous, as you can deal with it as you would any different interruption, but I haven’t actually been required to take that action. Guidelines are one thing, but if students embrace what the learning environment is doing, they will remain more focused by the viral phenomena (particularly in class periods).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t lost any lesson time, other than for an occasional raised eyebrow and commenting “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes a wildfire. I handle it in the same way I would handle any other disruption.

Earlier occurred the nine plus ten equals twenty-one phenomenon a few years ago, and undoubtedly there will emerge another craze following this. It’s what kids do. During my own growing up, it was imitating television personalities impersonations (honestly out of the school environment).

Young people are unpredictable, and I believe it falls to the teacher to react in a manner that redirects them back to the course that will help them to their educational goals, which, fingers crossed, is graduating with qualifications instead of a disciplinary record extensive for the employment of random numbers.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Students employ it like a unifying phrase in the playground: one says it and the others respond to indicate they’re part of the same group. It’s like a interactive chant or a sports cheer – an agreed language they possess. I believe it has any particular importance to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. No matter what the newest phenomenon is, they desire to experience belonging to it.

It’s forbidden in my teaching space, though – it triggers a reminder if they exclaim it – identical to any different shouting out is. It’s especially challenging in maths lessons. But my class at primary level are pre-teens, so they’re fairly compliant with the guidelines, whereas I appreciate that at high school it could be a different matter.

I have worked as a instructor for a decade and a half, and these crazes persist for a month or so. This phenomenon will diminish soon – this consistently happens, notably once their junior family members commence repeating it and it ceases to be fashionable. Then they’ll be engaged with the subsequent trend.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I first detected it in August, while educating in English language at a foreign language school. It was mostly male students saying it. I educated students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent among the junior students. I didn’t understand its meaning at the time, but as a young adult and I understood it was just a meme akin to when I attended classes.

Such phenomena are constantly changing. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend at the time when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t really exist as much in the classroom. Unlike ““sixseven”, ““the skibidi trend” was never written on the chalkboard in class, so students were less equipped to adopt it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will smile with the students if I inadvertently mention it, attempting to understand them and recognize that it’s merely youth culture. In my opinion they simply desire to experience that feeling of community and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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