‘Sometimes you’ve got to chuckle’: a quintet of UK educators on coping with ‘‘sixseven’ in the educational setting

Throughout the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the phrase “sixseven” during instruction in the most recent internet-inspired craze to spread through educational institutions.

Although some instructors have chosen to calmly disregard the phenomenon, some have embraced it. A group of instructors describe how they’re dealing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Earlier in September, I had been addressing my eleventh grade tutor group about studying for their qualification tests in June. I can’t remember precisely what it was in relation to, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the complete classroom burst out laughing. It surprised me entirely unexpectedly.

My immediate assumption was that I’d made an reference to something rude, or that they detected something in my pronunciation that appeared amusing. Somewhat frustrated – but honestly intrigued and mindful that they weren’t trying to be malicious – I persuaded them to explain. Honestly, the clarification they then gave didn’t provide greater understanding – I remained with no idea.

What possibly rendered it particularly humorous was the evaluating motion I had made while speaking. I have since discovered that this frequently goes with ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to aid in demonstrating the act of me verbalizing thoughts.

To eliminate it I attempt to reference it as often as I can. No approach diminishes a phenomenon like this more emphatically than an adult trying to get involved.

‘If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno’

Knowing about it aids so that you can prevent just blundering into statements like “indeed, there were 6, 7 hundred people without work in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the number combination is inevitable, having a firm school behaviour policy and standards on pupil behavior is advantageous, as you can sanction it as you would any additional disturbance, but I haven’t actually been required to take that action. Guidelines are necessary, but if students accept what the educational institution is doing, they’ll be less distracted by the internet crazes (especially in lesson time).

With 67, I haven’t lost any lesson time, except for an periodic quizzical look and saying ““correct, those are digits, good job”. Should you offer focus on it, it evolves into a blaze. I address it in the identical manner I would handle any different disruption.

Earlier occurred the 9 + 10 = 21 craze a while back, and there will no doubt be another craze following this. It’s what kids do. Back when I was youth, it was performing Kevin and Perry impressions (honestly out of the classroom).

Students are unpredictable, and In my opinion it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a approach that redirects them back to the direction that will help them to their educational goals, which, with luck, is graduating with academic achievements as opposed to a disciplinary record extensive for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

The children use it like a bonding chant in the schoolyard: one says it and the remaining students reply to indicate they’re part of the equivalent circle. It resembles a call-and-response or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they use. I don’t think it has any particular meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. Regardless of what the newest phenomenon is, they desire to experience belonging to it.

It’s forbidden in my teaching space, though – it triggers a reminder if they call it out – just like any other shouting out is. It’s notably difficult in maths lessons. But my students at primary level are children aged nine to ten, so they’re relatively accepting of the rules, whereas I appreciate that at secondary [school] it could be a distinct scenario.

I have served as a educator for fifteen years, and these phenomena continue for three or four weeks. This phenomenon will fade away soon – they always do, particularly once their little brothers and sisters begin using it and it stops being fashionable. 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 language institute. It was mostly male students uttering it. I educated students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent among the junior students. I didn’t understand its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I recognized it was merely a viral phenomenon similar to when I was at school.

Such phenomena are constantly changing. “Skibidi toilet” was a familiar phenomenon at the time when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t particularly appear as frequently in the learning environment. In contrast to ““67”, “skibidi toilet” was never written on the chalkboard in lessons, so students were less able to pick up on it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, trying to understand them and recognize that it is just contemporary trends. I believe they just want to feel that sense of belonging and companionship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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Judy Mendoza
Judy Mendoza

A passionate esports enthusiast and writer, sharing insights to help gamers level up their performance.