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Throughout the UK, school pupils have been shouting out the expression ““67” during instruction in the most recent internet-inspired trend to sweep across schools.

While some teachers have chosen to calmly disregard the trend, some have accepted it. Five teachers describe how they’re coping.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Back in September, I had been speaking with my eleventh grade students about preparing for their GCSE exams in June. I don’t recall precisely what it was in relation to, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting results six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It surprised me completely by surprise.

My initial reaction was that I might have delivered an allusion to something rude, or that they’d heard an element of my speech pattern that appeared amusing. A bit annoyed – but truly interested and conscious that they had no intention of being hurtful – I got them to elaborate. To be honest, the description they offered didn’t make much difference – I continued to have minimal understanding.

What might have made it particularly humorous was the evaluating motion I had performed during speaking. I have since found out that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to aid in demonstrating the action of me verbalizing thoughts.

In order to kill it off I attempt to reference it as much as I can. No approach diminishes a trend like this more emphatically than an teacher trying to get involved.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Knowing about it aids so that you can steer clear of just blundering into comments like “for example, there existed 6, 7 hundred people without work in Germany in 1933”. When the digit pairing is unavoidable, possessing a rock-solid student discipline system and standards on student conduct really helps, as you can deal with it as you would any additional disruption, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Guidelines are important, but if pupils accept what the educational institution is doing, they will remain better concentrated by the internet crazes (particularly in class periods).

Regarding six-seven, I haven’t wasted any lesson time, aside from an periodic raised eyebrow and saying ““correct, those are digits, good job”. When you provide attention to it, it evolves into a blaze. I address it in the identical manner I would manage any other disruption.

Earlier occurred the mathematical meme phenomenon a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend following this. It’s what kids do. During my own growing up, it was performing television personalities impersonations (admittedly out of the learning space).

Students are spontaneous, and I think it falls to the teacher to respond in a approach that steers them back to the path that will help them toward their academic objectives, which, with luck, is coming out with academic achievements as opposed to a disciplinary record extensive for the employment of random numbers.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Students employ it like a bonding chant in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the others respond to demonstrate they belong to the same group. It’s like a call-and-response or a sports cheer – an common expression they share. I don’t think it has any specific meaning to them; they simply understand it’s a phenomenon to say. No matter what the newest phenomenon is, they seek to experience belonging to it.

It’s prohibited in my teaching space, nevertheless – it’s a warning if they shout it out – similar to any additional shouting out is. It’s particularly difficult in numeracy instruction. But my pupils at primary level are children aged nine to ten, so they’re relatively accepting of the rules, while I understand that at secondary [school] it might be a separate situation.

I have served as a educator for 15 years, and such trends continue for a few weeks. This craze will fade away shortly – it invariably occurs, particularly once their junior family members start saying it and it’s no longer trendy. Subsequently they will be on to the next thing.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I started noticing it in August, while teaching English at a language institute. It was mainly male students saying it. I taught students from twelve to eighteen and it was common among the younger pupils. I didn’t understand what it was at the time, but being twenty-four and I recognized it was merely a viral phenomenon akin to when I was a student.

These trends are continuously evolving. ““Skibidi” was a well-known trend at the time when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it failed to occur as often in the classroom. In contrast to ““67”, “skibidi toilet” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in lessons, so students were less able to embrace it.

I typically overlook it, or occasionally I will chuckle alongside them if I accidentally say it, striving to empathise with them and appreciate that it’s simply youth culture. In my opinion they simply desire to experience that feeling of togetherness and camaraderie.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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