‘You just have to laugh’: several UK teachers on handling ‘six-seven’ in the school environment
Across the UK, learners have been exclaiming the words ““67” during instruction in the newest viral craze to sweep across schools.
Although some teachers have chosen to calmly disregard the craze, different educators have accepted it. A group of educators share how they’re coping.
‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’
Back in September, I had been addressing my secondary school tutor group about studying for their secondary school examinations in June. I don’t recall specifically what it was in relation to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re working to results six, seven …” and the complete classroom burst out laughing. It took me totally off guard.
My immediate assumption was that I had created an reference to something rude, or that they detected something in my accent that seemed humorous. Slightly frustrated – but genuinely curious and mindful that they had no intention of being mean – I persuaded them to explain. Frankly speaking, the explanation they offered failed to create greater understanding – I continued to have minimal understanding.
What could have caused it to be particularly humorous was the weighing-up movement I had made while speaking. I have since found out that this frequently goes with “six-seven”: I meant it to assist in expressing the process of me thinking aloud.
To kill it off I aim to mention it as much as I can. No approach reduces a trend like this more effectively than an grown-up striving to get involved.
‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’
Knowing about it aids so that you can prevent just blundering into statements like “indeed, there were 6, 7 hundred people without work in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the number combination is unpreventable, maintaining a strong student discipline system and expectations on pupil behavior is advantageous, as you can sanction it as you would any other interruption, but I rarely needed to implement that. Rules are important, but if learners accept what the learning environment is practicing, they’ll be more focused by the online trends (at least in class periods).
Regarding six-seven, I haven’t wasted any teaching periods, except for an occasional raised eyebrow and saying ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes a wildfire. I address it in the same way I would handle any additional disturbance.
Earlier occurred the mathematical meme trend a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge another craze following this. This is typical youth activity. During my own growing up, it was doing television personalities mimicry (admittedly out of the classroom).
Students are spontaneous, and In my opinion it’s an adult’s job to react in a way that steers them back to the direction that will enable them where they need to go, which, fingers crossed, is coming out with qualifications instead of a disciplinary record extensive for the employment of meaningless numerals.
‘Students desire belonging to a community’
The children utilize it like a unifying phrase in the recreation area: a pupil shouts it and the others respond to indicate they’re part of the equivalent circle. It’s similar to a interactive chant or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they possess. I believe it has any specific meaning to them; they just know it’s a phenomenon to say. Whatever the current trend is, they seek to experience belonging to it.
It’s banned in my classroom, nevertheless – it’s a warning if they exclaim it – just like any additional verbal interruption is. It’s particularly tricky in maths lessons. But my students at primary level are children aged nine to ten, so they’re quite accepting of the regulations, while I understand that at secondary [school] it may be a distinct scenario.
I have worked as a educator for fifteen years, and these phenomena persist for three or four weeks. This craze will die out in the near future – this consistently happens, particularly once their younger siblings start saying it and it ceases to be fashionable. Subsequently they will be engaged with the next thing.
‘You just have to laugh with them’
I started noticing it in August, while instructing in English at a foreign language school. It was mainly boys saying it. I instructed students from twelve to eighteen 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 just a meme similar to when I was a student.
Such phenomena are continuously evolving. ““Skibidi” was a popular meme back when I was at my training school, but it didn’t really exist as much in the learning environment. In contrast to “six-seven”, “skibidi toilet” was not inscribed on the chalkboard in instruction, so pupils were less able to adopt it.
I simply disregard it, or occasionally I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, striving to empathise with them and understand that it is just contemporary trends. I think they merely seek to feel that sense of togetherness and camaraderie.
‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’
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