‘Sometimes you’ve got to chuckle’: several UK educators on handling ‘six-seven’ in the classroom
Throughout the UK, school pupils have been calling out the expression ““67” during lessons in the most recent meme-based craze to spread through educational institutions.
While some teachers have chosen to calmly disregard the craze, different educators have embraced it. A group of teachers explain how they’re coping.
‘My initial assumption was that I’d uttered something offensive’
Back in September, I had been talking to my year 11 students about preparing for their qualification tests in June. I can’t remember specifically what it was in connection with, but I said something like “ … if you’re working to marks six, seven …” and the whole class burst out laughing. It caught me entirely unexpectedly.
My initial reaction was that I might have delivered an allusion to something rude, or that they perceived an element of my speech pattern that seemed humorous. Slightly exasperated – but truly interested and aware that they weren’t trying to be malicious – I persuaded them to explain. Honestly, the explanation they offered failed to create much difference – I continued to have minimal understanding.
What possibly rendered it particularly humorous was the evaluating movement I had performed during speaking. I later discovered that this typically pairs with ““67”: My purpose was it to help convey the act of me thinking aloud.
In order to end the trend I try to reference it as frequently as I can. No approach deflates a trend like this more thoroughly than an teacher attempting to participate.
‘Providing attention fuels the fire’
Knowing about it assists so that you can prevent just accidentally making remarks like “well, there were 6, 7 hundred jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. If the number combination is unpreventable, maintaining a firm school behaviour policy and expectations on student conduct really helps, as you can sanction it as you would any other interruption, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Policies are one thing, but if pupils embrace what the school is implementing, they’ll be less distracted by the viral phenomena (at least in instructional hours).
With six-seven, I haven’t sacrificed any teaching periods, except for an infrequent eyebrow raise and stating ““correct, those are digits, good job”. If you give focus on it, it evolves into an inferno. I handle it in the identical manner I would handle any additional disruption.
Previously existed the 9 + 10 = 21 trend a while back, and certainly there will appear another craze following this. It’s what kids do. When I was childhood, it was doing Kevin and Perry impersonations (truthfully out of the classroom).
Children are spontaneous, and I believe it’s an adult’s job to react in a manner that steers them back to the course that will enable them toward their academic objectives, which, hopefully, is completing their studies with certificates as opposed to a conduct report extensive for the employment of meaningless numerals.
‘They want to feel a part of a group’
Students employ it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to show they are the identical community. It resembles a verbal exchange or a sports cheer – an shared vocabulary they use. I don’t think it has any distinct significance to them; they merely recognize it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they seek to experience belonging to it.
It’s prohibited in my teaching space, nevertheless – it’s a warning if they exclaim it – just like any other verbal interruption is. It’s particularly difficult in mathematics classes. But my class at primary level are pre-teens, so they’re fairly compliant with the guidelines, whereas I recognize that at teen education it might be a different matter.
I’ve been a instructor for 15 years, and such trends last for three or four weeks. This trend will diminish shortly – it invariably occurs, notably once their little brothers and sisters begin using it and it ceases to be cool. Subsequently they will be focused on the next thing.
‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’
I began observing it in August, while educating in English language at a foreign language school. It was mostly young men saying it. I instructed teenagers and it was common with the younger pupils. I didn’t understand its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon similar to when I was at school.
These trends are always shifting. ““Skibidi” was a well-known trend during the period when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t particularly occur as often in the educational setting. In contrast to ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was never written on the chalkboard in lessons, so students were less prepared to pick up on it.
I simply disregard it, or periodically I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, attempting to understand them and understand that it’s simply pop culture. I believe they simply desire to experience that feeling of community and companionship.
‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’
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