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Across the UK, students have been calling out the phrase ““67” during instruction in the most recent meme-based trend to spread through classrooms.

Although some teachers have chosen to patiently overlook the phenomenon, different educators have embraced it. Five educators share how they’re managing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

During September, I had been addressing my secondary school students about getting ready for their GCSE exams in June. I can’t remember precisely what it was in relation to, but I said something like “ … if you’re aiming for results six, seven …” and the whole class burst out laughing. It took me completely by surprise.

My immediate assumption was that I might have delivered an reference to an offensive subject, or that they perceived a quality in my pronunciation that appeared amusing. A bit frustrated – but honestly intrigued and mindful that they weren’t hurtful – I asked them to elaborate. Frankly speaking, the explanation they then gave failed to create significant clarification – I still had minimal understanding.

What could have rendered it particularly humorous was the weighing-up motion I had executed while speaking. I later discovered that this frequently goes with “six-seven”: I had intended it to help convey the action of me speaking my mind.

With the aim of kill it off I try to bring it up as frequently as I can. No approach diminishes a craze like this more emphatically than an grown-up striving to join in.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Being aware of it aids so that you can avoid just accidentally making statements like “well, there were 6, 7 hundred unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. If the number combination is inevitable, maintaining a firm student discipline system and expectations on pupil behavior proves beneficial, as you can address it as you would any other disturbance, but I haven’t actually been required to take that action. Rules are one thing, but if pupils buy into what the learning environment is doing, they’ll be better concentrated by the internet crazes (at least in lesson time).

With sixseven, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, except for an periodic eyebrow raise and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. When you provide oxygen to it, then it becomes a blaze. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any other interruption.

Previously existed the 9 + 10 = 21 craze a previous period, and there will no doubt be another craze after this. This is typical youth activity. During my own youth, it was performing comedy characters mimicry (admittedly outside the learning space).

Young people are unpredictable, and I think it’s the educator’s responsibility to respond in a way that steers them toward the path that will help them where they need to go, which, with luck, is coming out with certificates rather than a conduct report a mile long for the utilization of arbitrary digits.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

The children utilize it like a connecting expression in the playground: one says it and the other children answer to demonstrate they belong to the same group. It resembles a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they share. In my view it has any particular meaning to them; they just know it’s a thing to say. Whatever the newest phenomenon is, they want to feel part of it.

It’s banned in my teaching space, though – it’s a warning if they call it out – just like any different verbal interruption is. It’s particularly difficult in mathematics classes. But my students at fifth grade are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re quite compliant with the guidelines, although I appreciate that at high school it could be a separate situation.

I have served as a educator for a decade and a half, and these crazes last for a month or so. This trend will die out in the near future – this consistently happens, especially once their little brothers and sisters start saying it and it’s no longer cool. Subsequently they will be on to the next thing.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I began observing it in August, while educating in English language at a language institute. It was mostly boys uttering it. I instructed teenagers and it was prevalent within the junior students. I was unaware its significance at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I recognized it was just a meme similar to when I was a student.

The crazes are continuously evolving. ““Skibidi” was a well-known trend back when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t particularly exist as much in the learning environment. In contrast to “six-seven”, ““that particular meme” was never written on the whiteboard in instruction, so students were less prepared to pick up on it.

I typically overlook it, or periodically I will laugh with them if I inadvertently mention it, attempting to understand them and recognize that it’s simply contemporary trends. I believe they simply desire to experience that feeling of belonging and camaraderie.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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