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Around the UK, learners have been calling out the phrase “sixseven” during instruction in the newest internet-inspired trend to spread through schools.

Although some teachers have opted to calmly disregard the trend, others have incorporated it. Five educators share how they’re managing.

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

Earlier in September, I had been talking to my year 11 tutor group about getting ready for their GCSE exams in June. It escapes me exactly what it was in connection with, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting marks six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It took me entirely unexpectedly.

My first thought was that I might have delivered an allusion to an offensive subject, or that they’d heard something in my accent that appeared amusing. Slightly exasperated – but genuinely curious and conscious that they weren’t mean – I asked them to explain. To be honest, the explanation they provided didn’t make greater understanding – I still had little comprehension.

What possibly rendered it especially amusing was the considering movement I had performed during speaking. I have since found out that this typically pairs with ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to aid in demonstrating the action of me verbalizing thoughts.

With the aim of kill it off I try to reference it as much as I can. No approach reduces a craze like this more effectively than an adult trying to join in.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Being aware of it assists so that you can steer clear of just unintentionally stating comments like “for example, there existed 6, 7 million jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. If the digit pairing is unavoidable, possessing a firm classroom conduct rules and requirements on student conduct is advantageous, as you can address it as you would any different interruption, but I haven’t actually needed to implement that. Rules are important, but if pupils accept what the learning environment is doing, they’ll be more focused by the viral phenomena (particularly in instructional hours).

With six-seven, I haven’t wasted any teaching periods, aside from an infrequent raised eyebrow and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. If you give oxygen to it, it evolves into an inferno. I handle it in the same way I would treat any different interruption.

There was the nine plus ten equals twenty-one trend a while back, and there will no doubt be a new phenomenon after this. This is typical youth activity. During my own childhood, it was doing Kevin and Perry mimicry (admittedly out of the classroom).

Young people are unforeseeable, and I believe it’s an adult’s job to respond in a approach that steers them back to the direction that will help them to their educational goals, which, with luck, is completing their studies with certificates instead of a disciplinary record lengthy for the use of random numbers.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Students employ it like a bonding chant in the schoolyard: a pupil shouts it and the other children answer to show they are the equivalent circle. It’s like a verbal exchange or a football chant – an agreed language they possess. I believe it has any distinct importance to them; they just know it’s a trend to say. Regardless of what the newest phenomenon is, they desire to feel part of it.

It’s banned in my teaching space, nevertheless – it’s a warning if they call it out – identical to any additional calling out is. It’s especially tricky in numeracy instruction. But my students at year 5 are children aged nine to ten, so they’re fairly compliant with the guidelines, whereas I appreciate that at high school it could be a separate situation.

I’ve been a instructor for a decade and a half, and these phenomena last for a month or so. This craze will die out soon – it invariably occurs, notably once their junior family members begin using it and it’s no longer cool. Then they’ll be focused on the subsequent trend.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a foreign language school. It was primarily young men repeating it. I instructed students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent with the younger pupils. I was unaware what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I understood it was simply an internet trend similar to when I was a student.

These trends are constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a well-known trend back when I was at my training school, but it didn’t really appear as frequently in the classroom. Unlike ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in class, so pupils were less prepared to embrace it.

I just ignore it, or occasionally I will smile with the students if I inadvertently mention it, striving to relate to them and appreciate that it’s simply contemporary trends. I think they simply desire to feel that sense of togetherness and friendship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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