A viral meme known as 'six-seven' is causing disruption in UK schools, with a survey of 10,000 teachers finding that four out of five secondary school teachers have heard the phrase called out. The phenomenon is particularly prevalent in maths lessons, where the numbers six and seven frequently appear, but teachers of other subjects report that any mention of page 67, the year 1967, or similar references triggers a noisy chorus.
The Teacher Tapp poll revealed that 90% of younger secondary teachers have encountered the meme, while half of primary school teachers also report hearing it. Some students have even painted the numbers on their faces for school discos. A maths teacher at a London school described it as 'the most brain dead meme in history' and has issued detentions for its repeated use.
The phrase, pronounced 'six sevvv-an' and accompanied by a hand gesture, originated from a video at a US basketball game earlier this year. Its meaning is obscure and varies from 'meh' to simple number recognition. Most teachers surveyed could not explain what it means, and even among teachers in their 20s, barely half were confident they understood it.
Some headteachers are taking a relaxed approach. Caroline Lowing told the Daily Echo: 'As with every craze, we just tend to ride the wave until it dies down.' The meme has replaced last year's 'skibidi' as the top Gen Alpha slang, but a new contender, 'cooked' or 'cook', is rising in popularity, with nearly half of secondary teachers hearing it last week.
