Slang is driving this generation of teachers crazy.
Teachers across the country are banning the phrase “67,” a nonsense phrase that is often thrown around, especially when “six” and “seven” are mentioned together, with one person saying “six” and others responding with “seven.” It is also accompanied by a “dhakham” hand gesture.
According to Merriam-Webster, the term comes from rapper Skrilla’s song “Doot Doot (6 7),” which refers to a 6’7″ basketball player, popularized through viral videos and memes featuring NBA player LaMelo Ball.
However, teachers say the phrase has become a distraction that disrupts the classroom. Some instructors impose consequences, from grade deductions to essays, on students who use the term.
“I’ve been teaching for 20 years and I’ve dealt with all kinds of slang — nothing has driven me crazier than this one,” Adria Laplander, a sixth-grade language arts teacher in Michigan, told Today.com.
Laplander is so fired up that he made a TikTok video explaining how he punishes students who say the word or make a hand gesture.
“We don’t say the words ’67’ anymore — if you do, you have to write a 67-word essay about … what the word ’67’ means,” Laplander said. “If you do it again, another 67 word essay. After 5 times, if you keep saying ’67’ in this classroom, your essay will be up to 670 words.”
Asking students to write essays is a mild consequence of restoring order in the classroom, Laplander said, although some still yell “67” outside her door to provoke reactions. He says that slang can help connect with students — but not when it disrupts learning.
Other educators have taken to the social media platform to share tips on how to curb ’67’s classroom outbursts.
“Don’t count out loud in class … I was participating and I said, ‘One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,'” Levy Hawk said in a video, adding that his class became “67.”
A fed-up maths teacher, voiced by Miss Gemnini on TikTok, warned students that saying “67” would result in the loss of 67 digital points awarded for good behavior.
“My goal with this is for you to develop some self-control,” he told his class in the video. “It’s getting a little ridiculous.”
Monica Shufelt, a fourth-grade teacher in New Jersey, says that the slang for “67” has become so common in her class that students shout it when they hear a six or seven.
“I’d say, ‘It’s 1:16 p.m., it’s class time, and somebody says, ’67!'”” Shufelt told Today.com.
To avoid disruption, he requires offenders to write “I will not say ’67’ in class” — six times for the first offense, seven times for the second and 67 times for the third.
She also turns the term into a playful “call and response” to refocus her students, yelling “6!” As they answer “7!”
This method has been very useful, with only two students writing lines to ignore the ban.
“They thought I was joking, but once I had them write for homework, they were like, ‘Oh, you were serious!'” Shufelt said.
Shufelt said that as much as it drives him crazy, he appreciates the inside joke the slang has created with his students and colleagues.
“A co-worker and I went to a bingo fundraiser and they called out ‘G-67,'” Chauffel said. “We looked at each other and said, ’67.’
