‘You just have to laugh’: several UK educators on coping with ‘six-seven’ in the school environment
Across the UK, students have been exclaiming the words ““67” during lessons in the latest viral trend to take over schools.
Although some instructors have decided to patiently overlook the craze, some have embraced it. A group of instructors explain how they’re coping.
‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’
Back in September, I had been talking to my year 11 class about studying for their qualification tests in June. I don’t recall precisely what it was in connection with, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re working to marks six, seven …” and the entire group burst out laughing. It took me completely by surprise.
My immediate assumption was that I’d made an hint at an inappropriate topic, or that they’d heard something in my speech pattern that appeared amusing. Slightly frustrated – but truly interested and aware that they weren’t trying to be mean – I got them to elaborate. To be honest, the description they then gave didn’t make significant clarification – I remained with minimal understanding.
What might have caused it to be extra funny was the weighing-up gesture I had executed while speaking. Subsequently I learned that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the action of me thinking aloud.
With the aim of eliminate it I aim to reference it as much as I can. No approach diminishes a craze like this more emphatically than an grown-up attempting to join in.
‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’
Knowing about it helps so that you can steer clear of just unintentionally stating remarks like “for example, there existed 6, 7 million jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the numerical sequence is unpreventable, possessing a strong classroom conduct rules and standards on student conduct proves beneficial, as you can address it as you would any different disruption, but I’ve not really had to do that. Guidelines are necessary, but if students embrace what the educational institution is doing, they will become less distracted by the viral phenomena (especially in class periods).
Regarding 67, I haven’t wasted any teaching periods, other than for an occasional eyebrow raise and saying “yes, that’s a number, well done”. Should you offer attention to it, it evolves into a wildfire. I handle it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any other disruption.
There was the mathematical meme craze a few years ago, and certainly there will appear a different trend subsequently. That’s children’s behavior. When I was growing up, it was performing comedy characters mimicry (truthfully away from the classroom).
Children are spontaneous, and I believe it falls to the teacher to respond in a way that steers them toward the path that will help them toward their academic objectives, which, fingers crossed, is graduating with certificates instead of a behaviour list extensive for the employment of meaningless numerals.
‘Students desire belonging to a community’
The children use it like a connecting expression in the recreation area: a pupil shouts it and the other children answer to show they are the same group. It’s like a interactive chant or a sports cheer – an common expression they use. In my view it has any distinct importance to them; they merely recognize it’s a thing to say. No matter what the newest phenomenon is, they desire to experience belonging to it.
It’s prohibited in my classroom, nevertheless – it triggers a reminder if they call it out – just like any other verbal interruption is. It’s particularly challenging in maths lessons. But my pupils at year 5 are children aged nine to ten, so they’re relatively compliant with the rules, whereas I recognize that at teen education it could be a different matter.
I have worked as a teacher for fifteen years, and these crazes persist for a month or so. This phenomenon will fade away shortly – they always do, particularly once their junior family members commence repeating it and it’s no longer trendy. Then they’ll be on to the subsequent trend.
‘You just have to laugh with them’
I began observing it in August, while instructing in English at a international school. It was mainly male students uttering it. I taught students from twelve to eighteen and it was common with the less experienced learners. I didn’t understand its significance at the time, but as a young adult and I understood it was simply an internet trend comparable to when I was at school.
These trends are always shifting. ““Skibidi” was a familiar phenomenon at the time when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it failed to appear as frequently in the classroom. Unlike “six-seven”, “skibidi toilet” was never written on the whiteboard in lessons, so students were less able to pick up on it.
I just ignore it, or occasionally I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, attempting to relate to them and recognize that it is just contemporary trends. In my opinion they just want to experience that feeling of belonging and companionship.
‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’
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