‘You just have to laugh’: several UK teachers on dealing with ‘six-seven’ in the classroom
Across the UK, learners have been shouting out the phrase “sixseven” during instruction in the latest meme-based phenomenon to take over educational institutions.
Although some teachers have decided to calmly disregard the craze, others have accepted it. Several educators explain how they’re dealing.
‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’
Earlier in September, I had been addressing my year 11 tutor group about studying for their qualification tests in June. I don’t recall specifically what it was in connection with, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re targeting marks six, seven …” and the whole class started chuckling. It caught me completely by surprise.
My immediate assumption was that I might have delivered an reference to something rude, or that they perceived an element of my pronunciation that seemed humorous. Somewhat annoyed – but honestly intrigued and conscious that they weren’t mean – I asked them to explain. Frankly speaking, the clarification they then gave didn’t make greater understanding – I continued to have no idea.
What could have rendered it especially amusing was the weighing-up gesture I had performed during speaking. I have since found out that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to aid in demonstrating the process of me verbalizing thoughts.
To kill it off I try to mention it as frequently as I can. No strategy deflates a craze like this more thoroughly than an adult striving to get involved.
‘Providing attention fuels the fire’
Being aware of it helps so that you can avoid just blundering into comments like “indeed, there were 6, 7 thousand unemployed people in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the number combination is inevitable, possessing a strong school behaviour policy and requirements on student conduct proves beneficial, as you can deal with it as you would any additional disruption, but I haven’t actually been required to take that action. Policies are necessary, but if students embrace what the educational institution is doing, they’ll be better concentrated by the online trends (particularly in class periods).
Concerning six-seven, I haven’t wasted any teaching periods, except for an periodic raised eyebrow and commenting ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. Should you offer oxygen to it, it evolves into a wildfire. I address it in the identical manner I would treat any additional disruption.
Previously existed the mathematical meme trend a while back, and there will no doubt be another craze subsequently. It’s what kids do. During my own growing up, it was doing television personalities mimicry (truthfully out of the learning space).
Students are unforeseeable, and In my opinion it’s an adult’s job to behave in a way that steers them back to the direction that will help them where they need to go, which, hopefully, is coming out with certificates rather than a disciplinary record lengthy for the use of meaningless numerals.
‘Students desire belonging to a community’
Students utilize it like a connecting expression in the recreation area: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to demonstrate they belong to the equivalent circle. It resembles a call-and-response or a stadium slogan – an common expression they possess. I don’t think it has any specific importance to them; they simply understand it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the latest craze is, they desire to experience belonging to it.
It’s prohibited in my classroom, nevertheless – it’s a warning if they shout it out – just like any additional calling out is. It’s especially challenging in maths lessons. But my students at primary level are pre-teens, so they’re quite adherent to the rules, while I appreciate that at teen education it may be a different matter.
I have worked as a educator for a decade and a half, and these phenomena continue for a month or so. This phenomenon will fade away soon – they always do, particularly once their younger siblings commence repeating it and it’s no longer cool. Then they’ll be focused on the next thing.
‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’
I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a language institute. It was mostly boys uttering it. I taught students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent within the less experienced learners. I was unaware what it was at the time, but being twenty-four and I realised it was just a meme similar to when I attended classes.
These trends are constantly changing. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon back when I was at my training school, but it failed to appear as frequently in the educational setting. In contrast to ““67”, “skibidi toilet” was not scribbled on the chalkboard in instruction, so students were less prepared to adopt it.
I simply disregard it, or periodically I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, trying to understand them and recognize that it’s simply contemporary trends. I think they just want to feel that sense of belonging and friendship.
‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’
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