‘You just have to laugh’: several UK educators on dealing with ‘‘sixseven’ in the school environment
Throughout the UK, learners have been calling out the expression ““six-seven” during classes in the most recent viral craze to take over classrooms.
While some educators have opted to patiently overlook the craze, different educators have embraced it. Five educators share how they’re managing.
‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’
Earlier in September, I had been addressing my eleventh grade students about studying for their GCSE exams in June. It escapes me exactly what it was in reference to, but I said something like “ … if you’re working to results six, seven …” and the whole class started chuckling. It caught me totally off guard.
My immediate assumption was that I might have delivered an allusion to something rude, or that they’d heard a quality in my pronunciation that sounded funny. A bit frustrated – but truly interested and conscious that they had no intention of being hurtful – I got them to clarify. To be honest, the description they then gave didn’t provide significant clarification – I continued to have minimal understanding.
What possibly made it particularly humorous was the weighing-up movement I had made while speaking. I later discovered that this frequently goes with “six-seven”: I had intended it to aid in demonstrating the process of me speaking my mind.
In order to eliminate it I attempt to mention it as frequently as I can. No approach deflates a trend like this more emphatically than an grown-up trying to join in.
‘Providing attention fuels the fire’
Being aware of it helps so that you can prevent just unintentionally stating statements like “indeed, there were 6, 7 thousand people without work in Germany in 1933”. If the number combination is inevitable, having a firm school behaviour policy and expectations on student conduct really helps, as you can address it as you would any additional interruption, but I’ve not really had to do that. Rules are important, but if learners buy into what the learning environment is doing, they will remain better concentrated by the online trends (at least in lesson time).
With 67, I haven’t sacrificed any lesson time, aside from an periodic quizzical look and stating ““correct, those are digits, good job”. When you provide attention to it, it evolves into a wildfire. I treat it in the identical manner I would handle any additional disruption.
Previously existed the 9 + 10 = 21 phenomenon a few years ago, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend following this. This is typical youth activity. Back when I was childhood, it was doing Kevin and Perry impressions (admittedly away from the school environment).
Young people are spontaneous, and I think it falls to the teacher to react in a manner that steers them in the direction of the course that will help them to their educational goals, which, with luck, is coming out with certificates as opposed to a conduct report a mile long for the use of meaningless numerals.
‘They want to feel a part of a group’
Young learners employ it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: a student calls it and the remaining students reply to demonstrate they belong to the identical community. It resembles a interactive chant or a football chant – an common expression they possess. In my view it has any particular meaning to them; they simply understand it’s a thing to say. Regardless of what the latest craze is, they seek to be included in it.
It’s forbidden in my classroom, though – it triggers a reminder if they shout it out – just like any different shouting out is. It’s notably difficult in numeracy instruction. But my students at year 5 are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re fairly accepting of the guidelines, whereas I understand that at teen education it could be a different matter.
I’ve been a instructor for fifteen years, and these crazes persist for a month or so. This phenomenon will die out in the near future – they always do, particularly once their little brothers and sisters begin using it and it’s no longer trendy. Afterward they shall be on to the following phenomenon.
‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’
I began observing it in August, while educating in English language at a foreign language school. It was primarily young men repeating it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was widespread with the younger pupils. I was unaware its meaning at the time, but I’m 24 years old and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon similar to when I was a student.
Such phenomena are always shifting. “Skibidi toilet” was a popular meme at the time when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t particularly exist as much in the classroom. Unlike “six-seven”, ““that particular meme” was not scribbled on the board in instruction, so pupils were less prepared to embrace it.
I just ignore it, or sometimes I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, attempting to understand them and recognize that it’s merely pop culture. I think they merely seek to enjoy that sensation of belonging and companionship.
‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’
I have performed the {job|profession
