‘It’s impossible not to smile’: a quintet of UK teachers on dealing with ‘‘67’ in the classroom

Throughout the UK, learners have been exclaiming the phrase “sixseven” during instruction in the latest internet-inspired phenomenon to spread through educational institutions.

While some teachers have opted to stoically ignore the trend, others have incorporated it. A group of educators share how they’re coping.

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

Back in September, I had been speaking with my year 11 students about preparing for their secondary school examinations in June. I don’t recall precisely what it was in relation to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re working to grades six, seven …” and the complete classroom erupted in laughter. It caught me entirely unexpectedly.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an allusion to an offensive subject, or that they’d heard something in my speech pattern that seemed humorous. Somewhat frustrated – but truly interested and conscious that they weren’t trying to be hurtful – I got them to elaborate. Honestly, the description they offered failed to create greater understanding – I remained with no idea.

What could have caused it to be especially amusing was the evaluating movement I had performed during speaking. I later found out that this typically pairs with ““sixseven”: I had intended it to aid in demonstrating the act of me thinking aloud.

To end the trend I aim to mention it as much as I can. Nothing diminishes a phenomenon like this more thoroughly than an adult attempting to get involved.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Understanding it aids so that you can avoid just accidentally making statements like “for example, there existed 6, 7 thousand unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. When the digit pairing is inevitable, possessing a strong school behaviour policy and expectations on pupil behavior really helps, as you can address it as you would any different disturbance, but I’ve not really needed to implement that. Policies are necessary, but if students accept what the educational institution is doing, they will become less distracted by the online trends (especially in class periods).

Regarding sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any lesson time, aside from an infrequent quizzical look and commenting “yes, that’s a number, well done”. When you provide focus on it, then it becomes a blaze. I address it in the identical manner I would manage any additional interruption.

There was the 9 + 10 = 21 trend a few years ago, and undoubtedly there will emerge another craze subsequently. It’s what kids do. Back when I was childhood, it was imitating television personalities impressions (truthfully outside the classroom).

Children are unpredictable, and I believe it’s the educator’s responsibility to react in a way that steers them in the direction of the course that will get them where they need to go, which, hopefully, is completing their studies with certificates as opposed to a conduct report extensive for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

The children use it like a bonding chant in the recreation area: a student calls it and the others respond to indicate they’re part of the equivalent circle. It resembles a interactive chant or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they use. I believe it has any distinct meaning to them; they just know it’s a phenomenon to say. No matter what the current trend is, they want to experience belonging to it.

It’s banned in my learning environment, nevertheless – it’s a warning if they call it out – similar to any different verbal interruption is. It’s especially challenging in mathematics classes. But my class at fifth grade are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re quite accepting of the rules, although I appreciate that at secondary [school] it may be a different matter.

I’ve been a teacher for 15 years, and these phenomena last for a month or so. This craze will diminish in the near future – they always do, particularly once their junior family members commence repeating it and it’s no longer cool. Subsequently they will be engaged with the next thing.

‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’

I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a foreign language school. It was mostly boys repeating it. I educated students from twelve to eighteen and it was widespread with the younger pupils. I had no idea what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I recognized it was simply an internet trend akin to when I was at school.

Such phenomena are always shifting. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend during the period when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t really occur as often in the learning environment. Differing from ““67”, ““the skibidi trend” was never written on the whiteboard in class, so learners were less equipped to adopt it.

I typically overlook it, or occasionally I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, trying to empathise with them and appreciate that it’s merely youth culture. In my opinion they simply desire to feel that sense of togetherness and camaraderie.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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