‘You just have to laugh’: several UK educators on handling ‘six-seven’ in the educational setting

Throughout the UK, school pupils have been shouting out the expression ““six-seven” during lessons in the latest meme-based trend to sweep across educational institutions.

While some teachers have chosen to patiently overlook the phenomenon, others have embraced it. Several educators explain how they’re managing.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Earlier in September, I had been addressing my secondary school tutor group about preparing for their secondary school examinations in June. I don’t recall precisely what it was in reference to, but I said something like “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the entire group erupted in laughter. It caught me entirely unexpectedly.

My immediate assumption was that I’d made an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they’d heard an element of my pronunciation that appeared amusing. A bit annoyed – but genuinely curious and conscious that they weren’t hurtful – I persuaded them to clarify. To be honest, the explanation they offered failed to create significant clarification – I still had minimal understanding.

What could have rendered it especially amusing was the considering movement I had made while speaking. Subsequently I learned that this typically pairs with “six-seven”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the process of me verbalizing thoughts.

In order to eliminate it I aim to bring it up as frequently as I can. No approach reduces a trend like this more emphatically than an grown-up striving to join in.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Knowing about it aids so that you can avoid just blundering into statements like “for example, there existed 6, 7 million unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. When the digit pairing is unpreventable, possessing a strong school behaviour policy and requirements on pupil behavior is advantageous, as you can address it as you would any other disturbance, but I haven’t actually needed to implement that. Guidelines are important, but if learners embrace what the educational institution is implementing, they’ll be better concentrated by the internet crazes (at least in lesson time).

Regarding 67, I haven’t sacrificed any lesson time, other than for an periodic eyebrow raise and stating ““correct, those are digits, good job”. If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes a blaze. I handle it in the identical manner I would handle any other interruption.

Previously existed the nine plus ten equals twenty-one phenomenon a previous period, and certainly there will appear a different trend following this. This is typical youth activity. During my own youth, it was performing comedy characters impersonations (admittedly outside the school environment).

Young people are unforeseeable, and I believe it falls to the teacher to behave in a way that redirects them toward the direction that will get them where they need to go, which, fingers crossed, is completing their studies with academic achievements rather than a conduct report a mile long for the employment of random numbers.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

Students employ it like a bonding chant in the playground: a pupil shouts it and the remaining students reply to show they are the identical community. It’s similar to a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they share. In my view it has any distinct significance to them; they just know it’s a trend to say. Whatever the newest phenomenon is, they desire to feel part of it.

It’s banned in my classroom, though – it’s a warning if they exclaim it – just like any other calling out is. It’s especially tricky in maths lessons. But my students at year 5 are children aged nine to ten, so they’re fairly adherent to the regulations, whereas I appreciate that at teen education it might be a different matter.

I have served as a instructor for 15 years, and such trends last for a month or so. This phenomenon will diminish in the near future – they always do, particularly once their junior family members begin using it and it stops being fashionable. Then they’ll be on to the following phenomenon.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I began observing it in August, while instructing in English at a foreign language school. It was mostly young men saying it. I instructed ages 12 to 18 and it was common within the junior students. I didn’t understand what it was at the time, but being twenty-four and I understood it was just a meme akin to when I was a student.

Such phenomena are constantly changing. “Skibidi toilet” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t really exist as much in the learning environment. In contrast to “six-seven”, ““that particular meme” was never written on the whiteboard in instruction, so students were less able to pick up on it.

I simply disregard it, or periodically I will chuckle alongside them if I unintentionally utter it, attempting to understand them and appreciate that it’s merely pop culture. I believe they simply desire to enjoy that sensation of community and friendship.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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Katelyn Horne
Katelyn Horne

Lena is a professional poker player and coach with over a decade of experience, sharing insights to help players improve their game.