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Around the UK, learners have been exclaiming the words ““67” during classes in the newest internet-inspired craze to spread through schools.

Whereas some educators have chosen to patiently overlook the trend, others have embraced it. Five educators describe how they’re coping.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

During September, I had been addressing my secondary school students about preparing for their qualification tests in June. It escapes me precisely what it was in reference to, but I said something like “ … if you’re aiming for grades six, seven …” and the complete classroom started chuckling. It took me completely by surprise.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an hint at an offensive subject, or that they’d heard something in my pronunciation that sounded funny. Slightly frustrated – but genuinely curious and mindful that they had no intention of being malicious – I got them to explain. To be honest, the clarification they offered didn’t make greater understanding – I continued to have little comprehension.

What could have caused it to be particularly humorous was the evaluating gesture I had performed during speaking. I have since found out that this often accompanies ““sixseven”: I meant it to assist in expressing the act of me verbalizing thoughts.

To kill it off I try to mention it as frequently as I can. No approach diminishes a trend like this more emphatically than an teacher attempting to join in.

‘Providing attention fuels the fire’

Being aware of it helps so that you can prevent just accidentally making comments like “for example, there existed 6, 7 thousand people without work in Germany in 1933”. If the numerical sequence is unavoidable, maintaining a rock-solid classroom conduct rules and standards on learner demeanor is advantageous, as you can address it as you would any different disruption, but I’ve not really had to do that. Guidelines are one thing, but if students accept what the learning environment is doing, they’ll be more focused by the internet crazes (especially in lesson time).

With 67, I haven’t lost any teaching periods, other than for an periodic raised eyebrow and commenting “yes, that’s a number, well done”. Should you offer focus on it, then it becomes a wildfire. I handle it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any different interruption.

There was the mathematical meme craze a few years ago, and certainly there will appear a new phenomenon after this. This is typical youth activity. When I was youth, it was imitating comedy characters impressions (admittedly out of the learning space).

Children are unpredictable, and I think it falls to the teacher to respond in a manner that guides them back to the path that will get them toward their academic objectives, which, hopefully, is graduating with academic achievements rather than a disciplinary record extensive for the employment of arbitrary digits.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

The children employ it like a unifying phrase in the schoolyard: one says it and the others respond to show they are the equivalent circle. It resembles a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they possess. In my view it has any distinct importance to them; they merely recognize it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the latest craze is, they desire to be included in it.

It’s prohibited in my teaching space, however – it’s a warning if they exclaim it – similar to any different calling out is. It’s particularly difficult in maths lessons. But my students at fifth grade are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re relatively compliant with the rules, although I recognize that at high school it could be a distinct scenario.

I have served as a instructor for 15 years, and these phenomena persist for three or four weeks. This phenomenon will die out in the near future – this consistently happens, especially once their little brothers and sisters begin using it and it’s no longer cool. Then they’ll be engaged with the subsequent trend.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I first detected it in August, while instructing in English at a language institute. It was mostly boys uttering it. I taught students from twelve to eighteen and it was widespread among the younger pupils. I didn’t understand its meaning at the time, but being twenty-four and I understood it was just a meme akin to when I was a student.

Such phenomena are constantly changing. ““Skibidi” was a well-known trend back when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t really occur as often in the learning environment. Unlike ““67”, ““that particular meme” was not inscribed on the board in lessons, so students were less equipped to adopt it.

I just ignore it, or sometimes I will laugh with them if I accidentally say it, striving to relate to them and understand that it’s simply contemporary trends. I believe they just want to feel that sense of community and friendship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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