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Around the UK, students have been calling out the phrase ““six-seven” during instruction in the latest internet-inspired craze to spread through classrooms.

Whereas some educators have opted to stoically ignore the craze, some have accepted it. Five teachers describe how they’re managing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Back in September, I had been addressing my secondary school tutor group about preparing for their GCSE exams in June. I don’t recall exactly what it was in connection with, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It caught me entirely unexpectedly.

My immediate assumption was that I had created an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they’d heard something in my pronunciation that sounded funny. A bit frustrated – but genuinely curious and aware that they had no intention of being hurtful – I asked them to explain. Frankly speaking, the clarification they then gave didn’t make greater understanding – I remained with no idea.

What could have made it especially amusing was the weighing-up gesture I had executed while speaking. I have since learned that this frequently goes with “six-seven”: I had intended it to aid in demonstrating the process of me speaking my mind.

To kill it off I aim to reference it as frequently as I can. No approach deflates a craze like this more effectively than an grown-up striving to participate.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Understanding it assists so that you can avoid just blundering into comments like “for example, there existed 6, 7 million people without work in Germany in 1933”. If the numerical sequence is unavoidable, having a strong classroom conduct rules and requirements on pupil behavior is advantageous, as you can deal with it as you would any different disturbance, but I’ve not really needed to implement that. Rules are one thing, but if learners buy into what the educational institution is practicing, they’ll be more focused by the online trends (at least in instructional hours).

Concerning six-seven, I haven’t sacrificed any teaching periods, except for an infrequent quizzical look and saying “yes, that’s a number, well done”. Should you offer focus on it, it evolves into a blaze. I treat it in the identical manner I would handle any other interruption.

Previously existed the mathematical meme trend a few years ago, and certainly there will appear a different trend subsequently. This is typical youth activity. Back when I was growing up, it was performing television personalities impersonations (admittedly outside the learning space).

Children are unpredictable, and I think it falls to the teacher to react in a way that redirects them back to the direction that will enable them toward their academic objectives, which, with luck, is coming out with certificates as opposed to a conduct report lengthy for the utilization of arbitrary digits.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Students employ it like a bonding chant in the recreation area: a student calls it and the others respond to indicate they’re part of the equivalent circle. It’s similar to a verbal exchange or a football chant – an agreed language they use. I believe it has any particular meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. No matter what the newest phenomenon is, they want to experience belonging to it.

It’s banned in my learning environment, however – it results in a caution if they exclaim it – just like any additional calling out is. It’s notably challenging in mathematics classes. But my students at year 5 are children aged nine to ten, so they’re relatively accepting of the guidelines, whereas I recognize that at teen education it could be a distinct scenario.

I have worked as a teacher for a decade and a half, and such trends continue for a few weeks. This trend will diminish soon – they always do, especially once their little brothers and sisters start saying it and it’s no longer trendy. Afterward they shall be on to the next thing.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I first detected it in August, while instructing in English at a language institute. It was mainly young men uttering it. I instructed ages 12 to 18 and it was common within the less experienced learners. I had no idea its significance at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon similar to when I was a student.

The crazes are always shifting. ““Skibidi” was a well-known trend back when I was at my training school, but it failed to appear as frequently in the classroom. Differing from ““sixseven”, ““the skibidi trend” was never written on the board in class, so students were less able to embrace it.

I typically overlook it, or occasionally I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, attempting to relate to them and appreciate that it’s merely contemporary trends. I think they simply desire to enjoy that sensation of togetherness and companionship.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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