‘You just have to laugh’: several UK teachers on coping with ‘‘67’ in the classroom
Across the UK, learners have been exclaiming the expression ““six-seven” during instruction in the latest internet-inspired phenomenon to spread through classrooms.
Although some teachers have chosen to patiently overlook the phenomenon, others have incorporated it. Five instructors share how they’re dealing.
‘My initial assumption was that I’d uttered something offensive’
Earlier in September, I had been addressing my year 11 tutor group about studying for their qualification tests in June. It escapes me precisely what it was in connection with, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting results six, seven …” and the whole class started chuckling. It surprised me entirely unexpectedly.
My immediate assumption was that I might have delivered an allusion to something rude, or that they perceived a quality in my speech pattern that appeared amusing. Slightly exasperated – but honestly intrigued and aware that they had no intention of being malicious – I asked them to elaborate. Honestly, the explanation they provided didn’t make significant clarification – I still had little comprehension.
What possibly caused it to be particularly humorous was the evaluating gesture I had made while speaking. I have since learned that this often accompanies ““67”: My purpose was it to help convey the act of me verbalizing thoughts.
To kill it off I attempt to bring it up as much as I can. No strategy deflates a phenomenon like this more emphatically than an teacher striving to join in.
‘If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno’
Understanding it helps so that you can steer clear of just accidentally making remarks like “well, there were 6, 7 million unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. When the digit pairing is unavoidable, having a rock-solid student discipline system and requirements on student conduct is advantageous, as you can address it as you would any different disruption, but I rarely been required to take that action. Policies are necessary, but if pupils buy into what the school is doing, they will remain less distracted by the viral phenomena (especially in class periods).
With 67, I haven’t sacrificed any teaching periods, other than for an infrequent eyebrow raise and saying ““correct, those are digits, good job”. If you give oxygen to it, it evolves into a wildfire. I treat it in the same way I would handle any other interruption.
There was the nine plus ten equals twenty-one craze a few years ago, and certainly there will appear a different trend following this. It’s what kids do. During my own growing up, it was doing comedy characters impersonations (honestly away from the learning space).
Young people are unpredictable, and I believe it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a approach that steers them toward the direction that will enable them to their educational goals, which, with luck, is graduating with academic achievements instead of a behaviour list extensive for the employment of meaningless numerals.
‘Students desire belonging to a community’
The children utilize it like a connecting expression in the playground: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to show they are the same group. It’s like a call-and-response or a football chant – an shared vocabulary they use. I don’t think it has any particular significance to them; they just know it’s a thing to say. Whatever the latest craze is, they want to feel part of it.
It’s forbidden in my classroom, nevertheless – it triggers a reminder if they exclaim it – identical to any other calling out is. It’s especially tricky in mathematics classes. But my students at fifth grade are pre-teens, so they’re relatively adherent to the guidelines, although I recognize that at secondary [school] it may be a distinct scenario.
I have worked as a instructor for fifteen years, and such trends continue for a few weeks. This craze will diminish in the near future – it invariably occurs, especially once their younger siblings start saying it and it stops being cool. Afterward they shall be on to the subsequent trend.
‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’
I began observing it in August, while educating in English language at a language institute. It was mostly male students saying it. I instructed ages 12 to 18 and it was prevalent within the less experienced learners. I had no idea its significance at the time, but as a young adult and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon akin to when I was at school.
These trends are always shifting. ““Skibidi” was a popular meme during the period when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t really appear as frequently in the educational setting. Differing from ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was not inscribed on the chalkboard in instruction, so students were less equipped to pick up on it.
I just ignore it, or occasionally I will laugh with them if I inadvertently mention it, trying to empathise with them and understand that it’s merely contemporary trends. In my opinion they just want to feel that sense of community and friendship.
‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’
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