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Throughout the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the phrase “sixseven” during lessons in the most recent viral phenomenon to take over schools.

While some educators have chosen to calmly disregard the craze, others have incorporated it. Five teachers explain how they’re managing.

‘My initial assumption was that I’d uttered something offensive’

During September, I had been speaking with my year 11 class about studying for their secondary school examinations in June. I don’t recall exactly what it was in relation to, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re targeting results six, seven …” and the complete classroom started chuckling. It took me entirely unexpectedly.

My first thought was that I’d made an reference to an offensive subject, or that they’d heard a quality in my speech pattern that seemed humorous. A bit exasperated – but genuinely curious and aware that they weren’t malicious – I persuaded them to clarify. To be honest, the description they then gave didn’t provide greater understanding – I still had little comprehension.

What possibly caused it to be especially amusing was the considering movement I had executed while speaking. I have since discovered that this often accompanies “six-seven”: I meant it to aid in demonstrating the action of me speaking my mind.

To end the trend I aim to bring it up as much as I can. No approach deflates a craze like this more effectively than an grown-up 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 comments like “well, there were 6, 7 hundred people without work in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the digit pairing is unpreventable, maintaining a rock-solid student discipline system and standards on pupil behavior proves beneficial, as you can deal with it as you would any other interruption, but I rarely had to do that. Rules are necessary, but if pupils embrace what the educational institution is doing, they will become less distracted by the online trends (particularly in instructional hours).

With 67, I haven’t wasted any lesson time, except for an periodic raised eyebrow and commenting “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes a wildfire. I treat it in the same way I would manage any other disturbance.

There was the 9 + 10 = 21 trend a few years ago, and there will no doubt be a new phenomenon following this. It’s what kids do. Back when I was growing up, it was doing television personalities impressions (truthfully away from the classroom).

Students are unforeseeable, and I believe it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a way that redirects them in the direction of the course that will enable them where they need to go, which, with luck, is completing their studies with academic achievements rather than a behaviour list extensive for the use of arbitrary digits.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Young learners utilize it like a unifying phrase in the schoolyard: one says it and the remaining students reply to demonstrate they belong to the same group. It’s similar to a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they possess. In my view it has any distinct significance 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 forbidden in my classroom, nevertheless – it’s a warning if they call it out – just like any different shouting out is. It’s especially difficult in mathematics classes. But my students at year 5 are pre-teens, so they’re quite compliant with the guidelines, although I recognize that at high school it may be a different matter.

I have served as a teacher for fifteen years, and these phenomena continue for a month or so. This craze will die out soon – it invariably occurs, particularly once their little brothers and sisters start saying it and it ceases to be trendy. Afterward they shall be on to the subsequent trend.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I first detected it in August, while instructing in English at a foreign language school. It was primarily male students uttering it. I taught teenagers and it was widespread within the younger pupils. I was unaware its meaning at the time, but as a young adult and I realised it was just a meme comparable to when I was a student.

These trends are always shifting. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon at the time when I was at my training school, but it didn’t really occur as often in the learning environment. Unlike ““67”, “skibidi toilet” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in class, so pupils were less equipped to adopt it.

I simply disregard it, or sometimes I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, attempting to relate to them and appreciate that it is just youth culture. I believe they simply desire to experience that feeling of togetherness and friendship.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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