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Throughout the UK, learners have been shouting out the phrase ““67” during lessons in the latest internet-inspired trend to sweep across classrooms.

While some teachers have chosen to calmly disregard the craze, some have accepted it. Several instructors explain how they’re coping.

‘My initial assumption was that I’d uttered something offensive’

During September, I had been addressing my year 11 tutor group about getting ready for their secondary school examinations in June. It escapes me specifically what it was in reference to, but I said something like “ … if you’re working to results six, seven …” and the complete classroom burst out laughing. It surprised me entirely unexpectedly.

My first thought was that I might have delivered an hint at something rude, or that they’d heard an element of my pronunciation that appeared amusing. Slightly exasperated – but truly interested and aware that they had no intention of being malicious – I persuaded them to elaborate. To be honest, the description they provided didn’t make greater understanding – I remained with no idea.

What could have caused it to be particularly humorous was the considering gesture I had performed during speaking. Subsequently I learned that this often accompanies ““67”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the process of me verbalizing thoughts.

In order to end the trend I aim to reference it as frequently as I can. Nothing reduces a craze like this more thoroughly than an teacher trying to join in.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Understanding it assists so that you can prevent just unintentionally stating statements like “indeed, there were 6, 7 thousand jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. If the number combination is unpreventable, having a rock-solid classroom conduct rules and requirements on student conduct really helps, as you can deal with it as you would any other interruption, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Rules are necessary, but if learners embrace what the educational institution is doing, they will become more focused by the online trends (particularly in class periods).

Concerning six-seven, I haven’t wasted any teaching periods, aside from an infrequent eyebrow raise and saying “yes, that’s a number, well done”. If you give focus on it, then it becomes an inferno. I treat it in the identical manner I would handle any other disturbance.

Earlier occurred the 9 + 10 = 21 craze a few years ago, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend following this. That’s children’s behavior. When I was childhood, it was performing Kevin and Perry mimicry (truthfully away from the classroom).

Children are unpredictable, and I think it’s the educator’s responsibility to react in a manner that redirects them toward the course that will help them where they need to go, which, with luck, is completing their studies with qualifications as opposed to a behaviour list a mile long for the use of random numbers.

‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’

The children utilize it like a unifying phrase in the playground: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to demonstrate they belong to the equivalent circle. It’s like a call-and-response or a sports cheer – an common expression they use. In my view it has any particular meaning to them; they simply understand it’s a phenomenon to say. Whatever the latest craze is, they seek to be included in it.

It’s forbidden in my learning environment, however – it’s a warning if they exclaim it – similar to any different verbal interruption is. It’s notably difficult in maths lessons. But my class at year 5 are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re relatively accepting of the rules, although I understand that at high school it may be a different matter.

I’ve been a instructor for fifteen years, and such trends last for three or four weeks. This craze will diminish shortly – it invariably occurs, especially once their little brothers and sisters commence repeating it and it stops being fashionable. Subsequently they will be on to the following phenomenon.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I started noticing it in August, while teaching English at a language institute. It was mainly boys uttering it. I instructed teenagers and it was prevalent within the younger pupils. I didn’t understand its significance at the time, but being twenty-four and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon akin to when I was at school.

The crazes are always shifting. “Skibidi toilet” was a well-known trend back when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t particularly occur as often in the learning environment. Unlike ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in lessons, so students were less able to pick up on it.

I just ignore it, or periodically I will smile with the students if I unintentionally utter it, striving to empathise with them and recognize that it’s simply contemporary trends. In my opinion they merely seek to feel that sense of belonging and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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