‘Sometimes you’ve got to chuckle’: a quintet of UK teachers on handling ‘six-seven’ in the school environment
Around the UK, school pupils have been shouting out the phrase ““67” during instruction in the latest viral craze to spread through classrooms.
Whereas some teachers have decided to stoically ignore the craze, different educators have accepted it. A group of educators share how they’re dealing.
‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’
Back in September, I had been talking to my eleventh grade students about preparing for their qualification tests in June. I can’t remember exactly what it was in reference to, but I said something like “ … if you’re aiming for marks six, seven …” and the complete classroom erupted in laughter. It surprised me completely by surprise.
My initial reaction was that I might have delivered an reference to an inappropriate topic, or that they detected an element of my speech pattern that appeared amusing. Somewhat frustrated – but genuinely curious and aware that they weren’t mean – I asked them to clarify. Honestly, the clarification they then gave didn’t make greater understanding – I still had no idea.
What might have caused it to be especially amusing was the considering motion I had made while speaking. I have since found out that this typically pairs with “six-seven”: I meant it to assist in expressing the action of me speaking my mind.
In order to eliminate it I aim to reference it as frequently as I can. Nothing deflates a phenomenon like this more thoroughly than an teacher attempting to join in.
‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’
Being aware of it assists so that you can prevent just blundering into statements like “indeed, there were 6, 7 hundred jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the number combination is inevitable, having a firm classroom conduct rules and requirements on pupil behavior proves beneficial, as you can deal with it as you would any other disturbance, but I’ve not really needed to implement that. Rules are one thing, but if students accept what the educational institution is doing, they will remain more focused by the online trends (at least in lesson time).
With 67, I haven’t lost any teaching periods, other than for an infrequent eyebrow raise and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. Should you offer focus on it, it transforms into an inferno. I handle it in the equivalent fashion I would treat any other interruption.
Earlier occurred the mathematical meme craze a while back, and undoubtedly there will emerge a new phenomenon subsequently. This is typical youth activity. During my own childhood, it was imitating Kevin and Perry impressions (truthfully outside the school environment).
Children are unforeseeable, and I think it falls to the teacher to respond in a manner that steers them in the direction of the path that will help them to their educational goals, which, fingers crossed, is completing their studies with qualifications instead of a disciplinary record extensive for the use of meaningless numerals.
‘Children seek inclusion in social circles’
Students use it like a unifying phrase in the schoolyard: one says it and the others respond to demonstrate they belong to the identical community. It’s like a interactive chant or a football chant – an agreed language they possess. I don’t think it has any distinct significance to them; they merely recognize it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the latest craze is, they seek to experience belonging to it.
It’s prohibited in my classroom, nevertheless – it triggers a reminder if they shout it out – similar to any additional calling out is. It’s particularly difficult in numeracy instruction. But my students at primary level are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re quite adherent to the guidelines, while I recognize that at high school it may be a distinct scenario.
I’ve been a educator for 15 years, and these crazes persist for three or four weeks. This trend will diminish shortly – they always do, particularly once their little brothers and sisters start saying it and it stops being fashionable. Then they’ll be on to the next thing.
‘You just have to laugh with them’
I began observing it in August, while teaching English at a foreign language school. It was primarily male students saying it. I taught teenagers and it was widespread within the junior students. I didn’t understand what it was at the time, but as a young adult and I recognized it was simply an internet trend akin to when I was at school.
These trends are continuously evolving. ““Skibidi” was a well-known trend at the time when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t really appear as frequently in the classroom. Unlike ““sixseven”, ““that particular meme” was not inscribed on the board in class, so students were less able to pick up on it.
I just ignore it, or sometimes I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, trying to understand them and appreciate that it is just contemporary trends. I believe they just want to experience that feeling of togetherness and companionship.
‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’
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