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Throughout the UK, school pupils have been shouting out the words ““six-seven” during instruction in the latest meme-based trend to take over schools.

Although some educators have opted to calmly disregard the trend, others have incorporated it. A group of teachers describe how they’re coping.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Back in September, I had been talking to my year 11 tutor group about getting ready for their secondary school examinations in June. It escapes me exactly what it was in relation to, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the complete classroom erupted in laughter. It surprised me totally off guard.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an reference to something rude, or that they perceived an element of my speech pattern that sounded funny. Somewhat annoyed – but honestly intrigued and conscious that they weren’t trying to be mean – I asked them to elaborate. To be honest, the explanation they then gave didn’t make greater understanding – I continued to have little comprehension.

What might have rendered it particularly humorous was the considering gesture I had executed while speaking. I later discovered that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: I meant it to aid in demonstrating the action of me speaking my mind.

To kill it off I attempt to bring it up as often as I can. Nothing deflates a craze like this more effectively than an adult striving to join in.

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

Being aware of it helps so that you can avoid just blundering into remarks like “for example, there existed 6, 7 thousand jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the number combination is unavoidable, having a firm classroom conduct rules and expectations on learner demeanor is advantageous, as you can sanction it as you would any other disturbance, but I’ve not really had to do that. Guidelines are important, but if students buy into what the learning environment is doing, they’ll be less distracted by the viral phenomena (especially in instructional hours).

With sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any teaching periods, except for an infrequent eyebrow raise and saying ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. Should you offer oxygen to it, it transforms into an inferno. I address it in the identical manner I would manage any additional disruption.

Earlier occurred the nine plus ten equals twenty-one trend a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend after this. This is typical youth activity. During my own youth, it was doing Kevin and Perry impressions (truthfully outside the school environment).

Young people are unforeseeable, and I think it falls to the teacher to react in a way that steers them back to the path that will enable them to their educational goals, which, with luck, is completing their studies with certificates instead of a behaviour list extensive for the employment of meaningless numerals.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Young learners employ it like a unifying phrase in the recreation area: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to demonstrate they belong to the equivalent circle. It’s like a call-and-response or a stadium slogan – an common expression they use. I don’t think it has any specific significance to them; they simply understand it’s a phenomenon to say. Whatever the current trend is, they want to experience belonging to it.

It’s prohibited in my teaching space, though – it’s a warning if they shout it out – identical to any additional calling out is. It’s particularly challenging in mathematics classes. But my students at fifth grade are children aged nine to ten, so they’re relatively adherent to the guidelines, while I recognize that at teen education it could be a distinct scenario.

I have served as a educator for a decade and a half, and these crazes last for three or four weeks. This phenomenon will die out soon – this consistently happens, especially once their little brothers and sisters begin using it and it’s no longer cool. Subsequently they will be engaged with the subsequent trend.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I started noticing it in August, while educating in English language at a foreign language school. It was mostly male students repeating it. I educated teenagers and it was prevalent among the younger pupils. I had no idea what it was 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.

Such phenomena are continuously evolving. “Skibidi toilet” was a familiar phenomenon at the time when I was at my training school, but it didn’t particularly appear as frequently in the classroom. Differing from “six-seven”, ““that particular meme” was not inscribed on the chalkboard in class, so pupils were less able to pick up on it.

I typically overlook it, or occasionally I will smile with the students if I accidentally say it, striving to relate to them and appreciate that it is just contemporary trends. In my opinion they just want to experience that feeling of togetherness and friendship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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