From “6-7” to Language and Literature: Why Schools Should Teach With Youth Culture, Not Ban It.

If you work in a school right now, you’ll probably know exactly what this sounds like: “Six-sevvv-ennnn!” Shouted across corridors. Whispered mid lesson. Exchanged with a grin that says you either get it, or you don’t. The latest viral “6-7” trend has been popping up everywhere and, predictably, many schools have responded by banning it. Another word added to the long list of phrases deemed disruptive, pointless, or inappropriate for learning. But here’s the uncomfortable truth. By banning it outright, we’re missing a huge teaching opportunity. Language doesn’t need permission to exist. The 6-7 trend doesn’t really “mean” anything in a dictionary sense That’s exactly why it’s interesting. It’s playful. Rhythmic. Collective. It signals belonging. English is not just what appears in exam papers. It’s what people do with words and sound in real life, to connect, to signal identity, to disrupt, to amuse, to belong. What makes 6-7 particularly fascinating is that it links beautifully to historical idioms. Especially the phrase “at sixes and sevens.” This idiom dates back to the 14th century and appears in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde and later in Shakespeare’s Richard II, where it is used to express disorder and instability. To a modern student, that phrase can sound almost as strange and meaningless as 6-7 does to adults today. But to its original audience, it was familiar, expressive, and loaded with shared understanding. What we now call classic literature was once living language, shaped by rhythm, repetition, shorthand, and cultural context. Just like today’s memes and slang. Instead of banning 6-7, we could use it to explore sound and rhythm, meaning and semantics, audience and context, language over time, and creative writing. This approach also opens the door to cross-curricular learning across humanities, maths, music, and PSHE . All with literacy embedded at the centre, and with the added bonus of ticking a happy Mr. and Mrs. Ofsted box! When schools ban youth language without curiosity, we risk reinforcing the idea that learning is something done to students, not with them. Today’s “nonsense phrase” is often tomorrow’s idiom in the making. The real question isn’t how do we stop this. But what can this teach us? Try This in Your Classroom: Start with the trend: Ask students what “6-7” means to them and why it’s funny or memorable. Link to literature: Compare it to historical idioms like “at sixes and sevens” and explore how meanings change over time. Explore sound: Analyse rhythm, repetition, and vocal emphasis. Context matters: Discuss where certain language belongs and why. Create: Challenge students to turn a modern phrase into a short piece of descriptive or symbolic writing.