‘Sometimes you’ve got to chuckle’: several UK teachers on handling ‘‘sixseven’ in the school environment
Across the UK, school pupils have been calling out the words “sixseven” during classes in the most recent meme-based craze to sweep across classrooms.
While some teachers have opted to patiently overlook the trend, some have accepted it. Several educators share how they’re coping.
‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’
Back in September, I had been talking to my secondary school class about getting ready for their GCSE exams in June. It escapes me specifically what it was in relation to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the entire group started chuckling. It surprised me totally off guard.
My immediate assumption was that I’d made an reference to an offensive subject, or that they perceived a quality in my pronunciation that sounded funny. Slightly frustrated – but genuinely curious and aware that they weren’t hurtful – I asked them to elaborate. To be honest, the description they provided didn’t make significant clarification – I still had minimal understanding.
What possibly made it especially amusing was the considering movement I had executed while speaking. I later learned that this often accompanies ““67”: I meant it to assist in expressing the action of me verbalizing thoughts.
In order to end the trend I attempt to mention it as frequently as I can. No approach deflates a phenomenon like this more emphatically than an grown-up trying to participate.
‘If you give oxygen to it, then it becomes an inferno’
Understanding it helps so that you can avoid just unintentionally stating remarks like “indeed, there were 6, 7 million people without work in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the numerical sequence is inevitable, possessing a rock-solid student discipline system and expectations on learner demeanor really helps, as you can deal with it as you would any different disturbance, but I’ve not really been required to take that action. Policies are one thing, but if learners embrace what the educational institution is practicing, they’ll be more focused by the viral phenomena (at least in instructional hours).
With 67, I haven’t lost any lesson time, other than for an infrequent raised eyebrow and saying “yes, that’s a number, well done”. Should you offer oxygen to it, it transforms into a wildfire. I handle it in the identical manner I would manage any additional disruption.
Previously existed the mathematical meme phenomenon a few years ago, and certainly there will appear a different trend after this. It’s what kids do. Back when I was youth, it was doing comedy characters impersonations (truthfully out of the classroom).
Young people are spontaneous, and In my opinion it’s the educator’s responsibility to respond in a approach that redirects them toward the course that will get them to their educational goals, which, with luck, is completing their studies with academic achievements instead of a disciplinary record lengthy for the use of meaningless numerals.
‘Students desire belonging to a community’
Students use it like a unifying phrase in the schoolyard: a pupil shouts it and the remaining students reply to show they are the same group. It resembles a interactive chant or a football chant – an agreed language they share. I don’t think it has any distinct importance to them; they merely recognize it’s a trend to say. Whatever the latest craze is, they desire to experience belonging to it.
It’s banned in my classroom, though – it triggers a reminder if they exclaim it – similar to any additional calling out is. It’s notably tricky in numeracy instruction. But my students at fifth grade are children aged nine to ten, so they’re fairly accepting of the regulations, although I understand that at secondary [school] it may be a distinct scenario.
I’ve been a educator for fifteen years, and these phenomena persist for three or four weeks. This trend will diminish in the near future – it invariably occurs, notably once their little brothers and sisters commence repeating it and it ceases to be trendy. Afterward they shall be focused on the subsequent trend.
‘Occasionally sharing the humor is essential’
I first detected it in August, while educating in English language at a foreign language school. It was mostly male students uttering it. I instructed students from twelve to eighteen and it was prevalent among the less experienced learners. I had no idea its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I realised it was simply an internet trend akin to when I was a student.
The crazes are constantly changing. ““Skibidi” was a well-known trend during the period when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t particularly exist as much in the classroom. In contrast to ““67”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the whiteboard in instruction, so students were less able to adopt it.
I typically overlook it, or occasionally I will laugh with them if I unintentionally utter it, attempting to relate to them and recognize that it’s simply contemporary trends. I believe they just want to experience that feeling of community and companionship.
‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’
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