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Around the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the phrase ““six-seven” during lessons in the newest viral craze to sweep across schools.

While some educators have chosen to patiently overlook the craze, some have accepted it. A group of teachers explain how they’re managing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

During September, I had been addressing my year 11 class about studying for their GCSE exams in June. I can’t remember exactly what it was in connection with, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the complete classroom burst out laughing. It surprised me completely by surprise.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they’d heard a quality in my pronunciation that appeared amusing. A bit exasperated – but honestly intrigued and conscious that they weren’t malicious – I got them to elaborate. To be honest, the description they offered didn’t provide significant clarification – I still had little comprehension.

What could have rendered it extra funny was the evaluating motion I had performed during speaking. Subsequently I found out that this often accompanies “six-seven”: I meant it to assist in expressing the process of me thinking aloud.

With the aim of eliminate it I aim to reference it as often as I can. Nothing reduces a phenomenon like this more emphatically than an adult striving to get involved.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Being aware of it helps so that you can prevent just blundering into comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 million people without work in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the number combination is inevitable, having a strong classroom conduct rules and expectations on learner demeanor really helps, as you can address it as you would any different disturbance, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Guidelines are important, but if learners embrace what the learning environment is doing, they’ll be more focused by the online trends (particularly in class periods).

Concerning six-seven, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, aside from an infrequent eyebrow raise and saying ““correct, those are digits, good job”. Should you offer attention to it, it transforms into a blaze. I handle it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any other interruption.

There was the nine plus ten equals twenty-one trend a while back, and there will no doubt be a different trend following this. It’s what kids do. When I was youth, it was performing Kevin and Perry mimicry (truthfully away from the school environment).

Young people are spontaneous, and I believe it’s an adult’s job to respond in a way that steers them back to the path that will get them where they need to go, which, with luck, is coming out with certificates instead of a disciplinary record lengthy for the use of random numbers.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Students utilize it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: one says it and the other children answer to demonstrate they belong to the equivalent circle. It resembles a interactive chant or a sports cheer – an agreed language they possess. I believe it has any distinct importance to them; they merely recognize it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the latest craze is, they seek to experience belonging to it.

It’s prohibited in my classroom, though – it triggers a reminder if they call it out – just like any additional shouting out is. It’s notably difficult in numeracy instruction. But my pupils at year 5 are pre-teens, so they’re quite compliant with the rules, while I understand that at high school it could be a distinct scenario.

I have served as a instructor for 15 years, and these phenomena continue for a few weeks. This craze will diminish soon – they always do, especially once their little brothers and sisters start saying it and it’s no longer fashionable. Subsequently they will be engaged with the following phenomenon.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I started noticing it in August, while educating in English language at a international school. It was mostly male students saying it. I taught teenagers and it was widespread within the junior students. I was unaware what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I recognized it was simply an internet trend akin to when I was at school.

These trends are constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon at the time when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t really appear as frequently in the educational setting. Differing from ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the chalkboard in class, so learners were less equipped to adopt it.

I typically overlook it, or occasionally I will chuckle alongside them if I accidentally say it, striving to understand them and understand that it is just pop culture. I think they simply desire to enjoy that sensation of belonging and companionship.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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