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Across the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the expression ““67” during lessons in the most recent meme-based trend to sweep across schools.

Although some educators have chosen to calmly disregard the trend, some have incorporated it. A group of teachers describe how they’re managing.

‘My initial assumption was that I’d uttered something offensive’

Earlier in September, I had been speaking with my secondary school class about preparing for their secondary school examinations in June. I can’t remember specifically what it was in connection with, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It took me entirely unexpectedly.

My initial reaction was that I had created an hint at an offensive subject, or that they perceived something in my speech pattern that seemed humorous. Somewhat annoyed – but genuinely curious and aware that they weren’t malicious – I persuaded them to elaborate. Frankly speaking, the description they then gave didn’t make much difference – I still had no idea.

What might have rendered it extra funny was the weighing-up gesture I had executed while speaking. I have since found out that this typically pairs with “six-seven”: I had intended it to assist in expressing the process of me thinking aloud.

With the aim of kill it off I try to bring it up as often as I can. No strategy reduces a craze like this more effectively than an teacher trying to join in.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Knowing about it helps so that you can prevent just unintentionally stating remarks like “for example, there existed 6, 7 thousand people without work in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the digit pairing is unavoidable, having a rock-solid classroom conduct rules and expectations on pupil behavior really helps, as you can deal with it as you would any additional disturbance, but I’ve not really had to do that. Rules are important, but if learners embrace what the learning environment is practicing, they will remain less distracted by the online trends (at least in lesson time).

With 67, I haven’t sacrificed any teaching periods, other than for an periodic eyebrow raise and stating “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give attention to it, then it becomes a blaze. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would treat any different disturbance.

Earlier occurred the mathematical meme trend a few years ago, and certainly there will appear a different trend subsequently. That’s children’s behavior. When I was growing up, it was performing television personalities impersonations (admittedly out of the classroom).

Children are unforeseeable, and I think it’s an adult’s job to react in a way that steers them toward the path that will enable them where they need to go, which, with luck, is coming out with academic achievements rather than a behaviour list lengthy for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Young learners use it like a bonding chant in the recreation area: a student calls it and the others respond to show they are the identical community. It’s like a interactive chant or a football chant – an shared vocabulary they possess. In my view it has any distinct significance to them; they just know it’s a trend to say. No matter what the current trend is, they desire to feel part of it.

It’s prohibited in my teaching space, however – it results in a caution if they shout it out – identical to any other shouting out is. It’s especially challenging in numeracy instruction. But my students at fifth grade are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re quite compliant with the rules, although I recognize that at teen education it could be a separate situation.

I’ve been a instructor for fifteen years, and such trends continue for a month or so. This phenomenon will die out in the near future – this consistently happens, notably once their little brothers and sisters begin using it and it stops being trendy. Then they’ll be focused on the following phenomenon.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I started noticing it in August, while instructing in English at a international school. It was primarily male students uttering it. I taught teenagers and it was common within the junior students. I was unaware its meaning at the time, but as a young adult and I understood it was simply an internet trend comparable to when I was a student.

These trends are constantly changing. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend during the period when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t particularly exist as much in the learning environment. Differing from ““sixseven”, “skibidi toilet” was not scribbled on the board in lessons, so students were less prepared to adopt it.

I simply disregard it, or periodically I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, attempting to relate to them and appreciate that it’s simply contemporary trends. I believe they merely seek to enjoy that sensation of belonging and friendship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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