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Across the UK, students have been shouting out the expression ““six-seven” during lessons in the most recent internet-inspired phenomenon to sweep across classrooms.

Whereas some instructors have chosen to calmly disregard the trend, others have embraced it. Five instructors describe how they’re managing.

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

During September, I had been talking to my eleventh grade tutor group about preparing for their qualification tests in June. I don’t recall precisely what it was in reference to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re aiming for results six, seven …” and the entire group burst out laughing. It surprised me entirely unexpectedly.

My initial reaction was that I had created an allusion to an inappropriate topic, or that they’d heard something in my pronunciation that appeared amusing. Somewhat annoyed – but honestly intrigued and conscious that they had no intention of being mean – I persuaded them to explain. Frankly speaking, the clarification they offered failed to create greater understanding – I remained with little comprehension.

What could have caused it to be particularly humorous was the weighing-up gesture I had executed while speaking. Subsequently I discovered that this frequently goes with “six-seven”: I meant it to aid in demonstrating the process of me verbalizing thoughts.

With the aim of end the trend I try to bring it up as frequently as I can. No strategy reduces a craze like this more thoroughly than an grown-up striving to participate.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Being aware of it assists so that you can steer clear of just accidentally making remarks like “well, there were 6, 7 hundred people without work in Germany in 1933”. When the digit pairing is unpreventable, possessing a firm classroom conduct rules and standards on learner demeanor is advantageous, as you can address it as you would any different interruption, but I’ve not really had to do that. Rules are one thing, but if students embrace what the school is implementing, they will remain more focused by the online trends (at least in lesson time).

With six-seven, I haven’t lost any instructional minutes, other than for an periodic quizzical look and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. Should you offer focus on it, it transforms into an inferno. I address it in the identical manner I would manage any different disruption.

Previously existed the 9 + 10 = 21 phenomenon a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend after this. This is typical youth activity. When I was growing up, it was performing television personalities impressions (honestly out of the school environment).

Students are spontaneous, and I think it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a way that steers them in the direction of the course that will enable them to their educational goals, which, hopefully, is coming out with qualifications rather than a disciplinary record a mile long for the use of random numbers.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Students utilize it like a bonding chant in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to demonstrate they belong to the same group. It’s similar to a verbal exchange or a sports cheer – an agreed language they use. I don’t think it has any specific meaning to them; they just know it’s a phenomenon to say. Whatever the latest craze is, they desire to be included in it.

It’s banned in my classroom, however – it triggers a reminder if they call it out – similar to any additional verbal interruption is. It’s particularly tricky in maths lessons. But my students at fifth grade are pre-teens, so they’re fairly adherent to the rules, whereas I recognize that at high school it might be a different matter.

I have served as a instructor for a decade and a half, and these crazes continue for a month or so. This craze will diminish soon – this consistently happens, especially once their little brothers and sisters begin using it and it stops being cool. Subsequently they will be focused on the subsequent trend.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I began observing it in August, while teaching English at a international school. It was mostly young men saying it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was prevalent among the younger pupils. I had no idea what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon akin to when I was at school.

Such phenomena are constantly changing. ““Skibidi” was a familiar phenomenon during the period when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t really appear as frequently in the learning environment. Unlike ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in lessons, so pupils were less prepared to embrace it.

I typically overlook it, or occasionally I will laugh with them if I accidentally say it, striving to empathise with them and understand that it is just youth culture. In my opinion they just want to feel that sense of community and companionship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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