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Across the UK, school pupils have been shouting out the words ““six-seven” during lessons in the latest internet-inspired phenomenon to take over educational institutions.

Although some teachers have chosen to calmly disregard the craze, some have embraced it. Five instructors explain how they’re dealing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Back in September, I had been talking to my eleventh grade tutor group about studying for their qualification tests in June. I don’t recall exactly what it was in reference to, but I said something like “ … if you’re working to grades six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It took me entirely unexpectedly.

My first thought was that I might have delivered an reference to something rude, or that they’d heard a quality in my accent that appeared amusing. Slightly exasperated – but truly interested and aware that they weren’t malicious – I asked them to elaborate. To be honest, the explanation they then gave didn’t make much difference – I still had minimal understanding.

What possibly rendered it especially amusing was the weighing-up movement I had performed during speaking. I later found out that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: I meant it to assist in expressing the act of me verbalizing thoughts.

To kill it off I try to mention it as often as I can. Nothing diminishes a phenomenon like this more emphatically than an teacher attempting 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 jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. When the numerical sequence is unpreventable, having a strong student discipline system and expectations on pupil behavior proves beneficial, as you can address it as you would any additional interruption, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Policies are necessary, but if pupils buy into what the educational institution is practicing, they will become less distracted by the online trends (at least in lesson time).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, aside from an occasional quizzical look and commenting ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. If you give attention to it, it transforms into a blaze. I address it in the same way I would handle any other disturbance.

Previously existed the 9 + 10 = 21 trend a few years ago, and certainly there will appear a different trend following this. It’s what kids do. During my own growing up, it was imitating comedy characters mimicry (honestly outside the classroom).

Young people are spontaneous, and I think it’s the educator’s responsibility to respond in a way that guides them in the direction of the direction that will help them where they need to go, which, fingers crossed, is graduating with certificates instead of a behaviour list lengthy for the employment of meaningless numerals.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Young learners utilize it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the other children answer to show they are the same group. It resembles a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an common expression they share. I don’t think it has any distinct meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. No matter what the newest phenomenon is, they desire to experience belonging to it.

It’s forbidden in my teaching space, however – it results in a caution if they call it out – similar to any different shouting out is. It’s particularly tricky in mathematics classes. But my students at primary level are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re quite compliant with the regulations, while I recognize that at secondary [school] it could be a different matter.

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 – this consistently happens, notably once their little brothers and sisters start saying it and it ceases to be trendy. Subsequently they will be on to the following phenomenon.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I started noticing it in August, while educating in English language at a language institute. It was primarily male students saying it. I instructed ages 12 to 18 and it was prevalent with the less experienced learners. I didn’t understand its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I recognized it was just a meme comparable to when I attended classes.

Such phenomena are continuously evolving. ““Toilet meme” was a well-known trend at the time when I was at my training school, but it failed to exist as much in the learning environment. Differing from “six-seven”, ““that particular meme” was not inscribed on the chalkboard in lessons, so learners were less prepared to adopt it.

I simply disregard it, or periodically I will smile with the students if I inadvertently mention it, trying to empathise with them and recognize that it’s merely youth culture. In my opinion they just want to experience that feeling of community and companionship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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