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Around the UK, learners have been calling out the expression “sixseven” during lessons in the latest viral craze to take over schools.

While some instructors have chosen to patiently overlook the trend, others have embraced it. A group of educators describe how they’re coping.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

During September, I had been talking to my secondary school tutor group about studying for their GCSE exams in June. I can’t remember specifically what it was in relation to, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re aiming for marks six, seven …” and the whole class burst out laughing. It took me completely by surprise.

My first thought was that I’d made an hint at an offensive subject, or that they’d heard an element of my pronunciation that sounded funny. Slightly exasperated – but honestly intrigued and mindful that they had no intention of being mean – I persuaded them to clarify. Honestly, the description they provided didn’t provide greater understanding – I still had no idea.

What could have rendered it especially amusing was the considering gesture I had performed during speaking. Subsequently I found out that this typically pairs with ““67”: I had intended it to assist in expressing the act of me thinking aloud.

With the aim of end the trend I aim to mention it as frequently as I can. No approach reduces a phenomenon like this more effectively than an teacher trying to join in.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Knowing about it assists so that you can avoid just accidentally making remarks like “indeed, there were 6, 7 million unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. When the digit pairing is inevitable, possessing a firm student discipline system and requirements on learner demeanor is advantageous, as you can address it as you would any other interruption, but I rarely needed to implement that. Guidelines are one thing, but if learners embrace what the school is implementing, they will remain less distracted by the online trends (at least in lesson time).

Regarding sixseven, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, except for an infrequent eyebrow raise and commenting “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno. I address it in the same way I would treat any other disruption.

Earlier occurred the 9 + 10 = 21 trend a while back, and there will no doubt be a different trend following this. This is typical youth activity. During my own growing up, it was doing television personalities impersonations (truthfully away from the school environment).

Young people are unforeseeable, and I think it’s an adult’s job to react in a manner that redirects them toward the direction that will get them toward their academic objectives, which, fingers crossed, is completing their studies with academic achievements rather than a behaviour list a mile long for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Students employ it like a unifying phrase in the playground: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to show they are the equivalent circle. It resembles a call-and-response or a sports cheer – an agreed language they possess. I don’t think it has any specific meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a thing to say. No matter what the latest craze is, they want to be included in it.

It’s prohibited in my learning environment, however – it’s a warning if they call it out – similar to any additional calling out is. It’s notably tricky in numeracy instruction. But my class at year 5 are pre-teens, so they’re relatively compliant with the regulations, whereas I recognize that at high school it may be a distinct scenario.

I have served as a teacher for fifteen years, and such trends continue for three or four weeks. This trend will fade away shortly – they always do, especially once their junior family members begin using it and it’s no longer trendy. Subsequently they will be engaged with the next thing.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I first detected it in August, while instructing in English at a language institute. It was mostly boys uttering it. I taught students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent among the junior students. I was unaware its significance at the time, but being twenty-four and I recognized it was simply an internet trend similar to when I was a student.

These trends are continuously evolving. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend back when I was at my educational institute, but it failed to occur as often in the educational setting. In contrast to ““67”, ““the skibidi trend” was not inscribed on the chalkboard in class, so students were less equipped to embrace it.

I simply disregard it, or sometimes I will chuckle alongside them if I accidentally say it, striving to understand them and recognize that it’s merely contemporary trends. In my opinion they merely seek to experience that feeling of belonging and friendship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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