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Throughout the UK, school pupils have been exclaiming the phrase ““67” during instruction in the newest internet-inspired craze to take over schools.

Although some educators have decided to stoically ignore the trend, some have embraced it. Five teachers describe how they’re coping.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Back in September, I had been talking to my year 11 class about studying for their qualification tests in June. I don’t recall precisely what it was in relation to, but I said words similar to “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the entire group burst out laughing. It surprised me entirely unexpectedly.

My immediate assumption was that I had created an allusion to an inappropriate topic, or that they detected a quality in my accent that seemed humorous. A bit exasperated – but genuinely curious and mindful that they weren’t malicious – I asked them to clarify. To be honest, the clarification they provided failed to create greater understanding – I still had minimal understanding.

What might have rendered it particularly humorous was the considering motion I had performed during speaking. I have since learned that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: I meant it to aid in demonstrating the act of me verbalizing thoughts.

In order to eliminate it I try to mention it as much as I can. No approach diminishes a trend like this more emphatically than an teacher trying to participate.

‘If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno’

Being aware of it helps so that you can prevent just accidentally making comments like “for example, there existed 6, 7 hundred people without work in Germany in 1933”. When the number combination is inevitable, possessing a strong student discipline system and requirements on student conduct is advantageous, as you can deal with it as you would any other interruption, but I rarely needed to implement that. Guidelines are necessary, but if students embrace what the learning environment is practicing, they’ll be better concentrated by the online trends (particularly in class periods).

With 67, I haven’t wasted any instructional minutes, except for an infrequent raised eyebrow and stating “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any different disturbance.

Earlier occurred the 9 + 10 = 21 trend a while back, and there will no doubt be a new phenomenon subsequently. It’s what kids do. When I was childhood, it was performing television personalities impersonations (honestly outside the learning space).

Children are unpredictable, and I think it falls to the teacher to respond in a way that guides them in the direction of the course that will help them toward their academic objectives, which, with luck, is coming out with qualifications rather than a conduct report extensive for the utilization of meaningless numerals.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

Young learners use it like a unifying phrase in the playground: one says it and the other children answer to indicate they’re part of the same group. It resembles a interactive chant or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they use. In my view it has any particular meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. Whatever the current trend is, they want to experience belonging to it.

It’s banned in my teaching space, though – it results in a caution if they call it out – similar to any different verbal interruption is. It’s especially tricky in maths lessons. But my class at year 5 are children aged nine to ten, so they’re quite accepting of the rules, although I understand that at high school it might be a different matter.

I have worked as a teacher for fifteen years, and such trends last for a month or so. This phenomenon will fade away shortly – this consistently happens, notably once their little brothers and sisters start saying it and it’s no longer fashionable. Afterward they shall be on to the subsequent trend.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I started noticing it in August, while teaching English at a foreign language school. It was primarily young men repeating it. I taught teenagers and it was prevalent within the junior students. I was unaware its significance at the time, but being twenty-four and I recognized it was just a meme similar to when I was at school.

The crazes are always shifting. ““Toilet meme” was a well-known trend back when I was at my educational institute, but it failed to appear as frequently in the educational setting. Unlike ““sixseven”, “skibidi toilet” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in class, so students were less prepared to embrace it.

I just ignore it, or occasionally I will chuckle alongside them if I accidentally say it, striving to understand them and appreciate that it is just pop culture. In my opinion they merely seek to experience that feeling of togetherness and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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