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Across the UK, school pupils have been calling out the phrase ““67” during instruction in the latest viral craze to sweep across classrooms.

Whereas some educators have decided to patiently overlook the trend, others have incorporated it. A group of instructors explain how they’re coping.

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

Back in September, I had been speaking with my eleventh grade students about preparing for their GCSE exams in June. It escapes me exactly what it was in reference to, but I said something like “ … if you’re working to results six, seven …” and the complete classroom started chuckling. It surprised me totally off guard.

My initial reaction was that I might have delivered an allusion to an inappropriate topic, or that they detected an element of my accent that sounded funny. Slightly frustrated – but truly interested and aware that they weren’t mean – I asked them to elaborate. To be honest, the explanation they then gave failed to create much difference – I continued to have little comprehension.

What could have made it extra funny was the weighing-up motion I had executed while speaking. I later learned that this often accompanies “six-seven”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the action of me verbalizing thoughts.

In order to end the trend I aim to mention it as much as I can. No strategy deflates a craze like this more thoroughly than an grown-up trying to participate.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Being aware of it assists so that you can avoid just unintentionally stating comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 million people without work in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the digit pairing is unavoidable, having a strong classroom conduct rules and expectations on student conduct proves beneficial, as you can address it as you would any additional disruption, but I rarely been required to take that action. Rules are necessary, but if learners buy into what the learning environment is practicing, they will become less distracted by the viral phenomena (at least in class periods).

Concerning six-seven, I haven’t sacrificed any teaching periods, aside from an occasional quizzical look and saying ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. Should you offer focus on it, it evolves into an inferno. I address it in the equivalent fashion I would manage any different disturbance.

Previously existed the mathematical meme trend a while back, and certainly there will appear a new phenomenon following this. It’s what kids do. When I was childhood, it was doing television personalities impersonations (admittedly away from the learning space).

Students are spontaneous, and I believe it falls to the teacher to react in a manner that steers them back to the direction that will enable them to their educational goals, which, fingers crossed, is coming out with certificates instead of a conduct report a mile long for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

The children employ it like a connecting expression in the recreation area: a student calls it and the others respond to show they are the same group. It resembles a call-and-response or a football chant – an shared vocabulary they possess. I believe it has any distinct significance to them; they just know it’s a trend to say. Whatever the current trend is, they seek to be included in it.

It’s forbidden in my teaching space, however – it’s a warning if they shout it out – just like any additional shouting out is. It’s notably difficult in maths lessons. But my pupils at primary level are children aged nine to ten, so they’re fairly compliant with the rules, while I appreciate that at secondary [school] it may be a separate situation.

I have worked as a instructor for fifteen years, and these crazes continue for a month or so. This craze will die out shortly – they always do, especially once their little brothers and sisters commence repeating it and it ceases to be cool. Subsequently they will be focused on the next thing.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I started noticing it in August, while educating in English language at a language institute. It was mainly boys uttering it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was common with the less experienced learners. I didn’t understand its meaning at the time, but as a young adult and I understood it was merely a viral phenomenon akin to when I was a student.

Such phenomena are continuously evolving. “Skibidi toilet” was a popular meme at the time when I was at my training school, but it didn’t particularly exist as much in the educational setting. Differing from ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in instruction, so pupils were less prepared to embrace it.

I typically overlook it, or sometimes I will laugh with them if I accidentally say it, striving to empathise with them and recognize that it’s merely contemporary trends. I believe they just want to feel that sense of togetherness and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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