‘Sometimes you’ve got to chuckle’: five UK educators on dealing with ‘six-seven’ in the educational setting

Around the UK, students have been shouting out the words ““six-seven” during classes in the most recent meme-based craze to sweep across schools.

Although some teachers have opted to calmly disregard the trend, different educators have accepted it. Five instructors describe how they’re dealing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Earlier in September, I had been talking to my secondary school students about preparing for their qualification tests in June. I can’t remember exactly what it was in relation to, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting results six, seven …” and the entire group burst out laughing. It caught me entirely unexpectedly.

My immediate assumption was that I’d made an reference to an offensive subject, or that they detected a quality in my accent that seemed humorous. A bit annoyed – but truly interested and mindful that they had no intention of being malicious – I persuaded them to elaborate. Frankly speaking, the explanation they offered failed to create greater understanding – I still had no idea.

What might have made it extra funny was the weighing-up movement I had made while speaking. Subsequently I found out that this typically pairs with “six-seven”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the action of me thinking aloud.

In order to kill it off I try to bring it up as much as I can. No approach reduces a phenomenon like this more emphatically than an teacher 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 statements like “for example, there existed 6, 7 hundred jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the numerical sequence is unavoidable, having a firm school behaviour policy and expectations on student conduct is advantageous, as you can address it as you would any additional disturbance, but I rarely been required to take that action. Policies are necessary, but if students accept what the school is practicing, they’ll be better concentrated by the viral phenomena (particularly in lesson time).

Concerning six-seven, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, other than for an infrequent raised eyebrow and stating ““correct, those are digits, good job”. Should you offer focus on it, then it becomes a blaze. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any other disturbance.

There was the mathematical meme craze a previous period, and certainly there will appear a different trend after this. That’s children’s behavior. Back when I was growing up, it was performing Kevin and Perry impersonations (truthfully away from the school environment).

Young people are unforeseeable, and In my opinion it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a way that steers them in the direction of the path that will enable them to their educational goals, which, fingers crossed, is coming out with certificates as opposed to a behaviour list a mile long for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Young learners use it like a connecting expression in the playground: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to show they are the same group. It resembles a interactive chant or a sports cheer – an agreed language they possess. In my view it has any particular significance to them; they just know it’s a thing to say. Regardless of what the newest phenomenon is, they desire to be included in it.

It’s banned in my classroom, nevertheless – it’s a warning if they exclaim it – similar to any additional verbal interruption is. It’s particularly tricky in numeracy instruction. But my students at year 5 are pre-teens, so they’re quite accepting of the rules, whereas I understand that at teen education it may be a distinct scenario.

I have served as a educator for a decade and a half, and these crazes persist for three or four weeks. This craze will diminish shortly – this consistently happens, notably once their junior family members commence repeating it and it ceases to be trendy. Afterward they shall be engaged with the next thing.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I started noticing it in August, while teaching English at a international school. It was primarily young men repeating it. I taught teenagers and it was widespread among the less experienced learners. I had no idea its meaning at the time, but as a young adult and I recognized it was simply an internet trend comparable to when I was a student.

Such phenomena are constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a popular meme at the time when I was at my training school, but it didn’t particularly occur as often in the learning environment. In contrast to “six-seven”, ““that particular meme” was never written on the chalkboard in lessons, so learners were less equipped to adopt it.

I typically overlook it, or sometimes I will smile with the students if I inadvertently mention it, attempting to understand them and understand that it is just pop culture. In my opinion they simply desire to experience that feeling of togetherness and camaraderie.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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Julie Stephens
Julie Stephens

Elara Vance is a novelist and writing coach with a passion for storytelling and helping aspiring authors find their unique voice.