In principle, educators of young children should have had no difficulty counting to ten. But the internet-imploding ‘67’ TikTok trend is making this categorically harder.
Teachers are tensing up at the halfway mark. They stand in front of whiteboards, hands behind their backs for composure, to prepare themselves for the unavoidable cacophony of tiny laughter that will follow the utterance of the dreaded duo. For them, the vast landscape that lies between five and eight is an uncertain, yet unmistakably dangerous, territory. The numerical pair that shall not be named, insinuated or alluded to in any way: ‘67’.
To further their frustration, teachers seemingly have no idea where this Internet-bourne phrase originates. To make it worse, most kids don’t seem to know either. But this hasn’t stopped the phrase from taking over TikTok culture, dominating FYP pages all October, and now infiltrating the classroom vernacular.
Some educators have adopted a blanket, no-tolerance policy toward internet slang. Some have even gone so far as to issue punishments for children who purport it. But, in a sphere of ever-changing slang and media access, teachers should be more willing to embrace these trends, if nothing else, for the benefit of their students.
The ‘meaningless’ meme
So, to paraphrase the wise words of the ancient philosopher Epicurus: “whence cometh 67?”
The infamous 67 phrase comes from the rapper Skrilla, specifically his song Doot Doot, which was released in December 2024.
The song comprises the lyric: “6-7, I just bipped right on the highway”. The “6-7” part of the song comes in at the beat drop, making it perfect for video edits.
The sound rapidly gained popularity for basketball meme content, and creators began to use this song over their edits. Most notably, the 6-foot-7-inch (201cm) American basketball player LaMelo Ball was a key player in these videos, as you would anticipate.
That’s essentially how the viral meme got itself off the bench and onto the court. Basketball fans started making edits of their favourite players, naturally accompanied by Skrilla’s background sound.
Before too long, the professional basketball players themselves were caught up in the action! LaMelo Ball even joked about the 67 reference in a sport press conferences.
This is, I suspect, a permeating assumption that 67 refers to some deeply mysterious notion or complex cultural phenomenon. Mr Lindsey, an American middle school teacher with 700k TikTok followers, receives daily message requests to explain the significance of 67. But, in his words: “67 is just a reference to a meme, there’s no real meaning to it. It is a number that is fun to say.”
This all seems rather anti-climactic now, doesn’t it? Plus, there’s no real justification as to where the mildly irritating ‘juggling’ hand gesture comes from, or the accompanying ‘six-seveeeeen’ Gen Alpha-coded voice.
So, this might just look like another nonsensical trend. The embodiment of delinquent brain-rot. But now, let’s investigate the effect that 67 has had on educational professionals.
Unprecedented chaos in the classroom
Expectantly, it’s the younger generation, Gen Alpha, – consisting of those born between 2010 and 2024 – who are most gripped by the 67 slang.
According to The Independent, teachers say that the phrase has become a significant source of disruption.
Children are finding, or, more realistically, manufacturing opportunities to call out “67” multiple times throughout the school day.
One New Jersey fourth-grade teacher Monica Choflet said that the phrase has become so common in her class that students shout it whenever they hear a six or a seven.
She continued: “I could say, ‘It’s 1:16 p.m., time for class and someone says, ‘67!’”
Adria Laplander, a sixth-grade language arts teacher in Michigan, said: “I’ve been teaching for 20 years and I’ve dealt with all sorts of slang — nothing has driven me crazier than this one.”
Admittedly, internet culture is nothing new. Words like “Ohio” and “Rizz” also had short bursts of fame before falling into the obliteration wastebin of once-cherished internet slang. And we shouldn’t forget the fervent excitement which besieged the number ‘21’ for multiple years, following a viral vine in 2014.
But 67 seems to have curated a new level of notoriety. Teachers have reportedly never seen anything like this. And often, the children’s enthusiasm poses a risk of interfering with others’ learning. How, then, should teachers be responding to this new wave of jargon?
Students facing short-term disciplinary action
In one popular TikTok, Mrs_teacher_mom37 explained her method of dealing with the trend. She punishes any student who utters the word or performs the associated hand gesture.
“We are not saying 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 five times, if you’re still saying, ‘67’ in this classroom, your essay is going to bop up to 670 words.”
Is this the right approach?
Of course, some disciplinary action is necessary when students are being deliberately disruptive. But it’s important to recognise that the phrase itself isn’t inherently harmful; treating it as can be detrimental to student-teacher communications.
Teachers’ overly harsh, dismissive attitude towards 67 stems, in all likelihood, from a fear of it. Teachers don’t really understand what it is. So they’re wary about embracing something they can’t fully comprehend.
But issuing punishments is not going to solve the problem here. When one meme finishes, another will simply emerge in its place (just look at what happened with 21).
To be a good teacher, it’s imperative that you’re able to teach. But, adjacent to that, comes an additional requirement: the ability to allow yourself to be taught by others.
Teachers should want to listen to their students and communicate with them on a level that they understand, in their own language. Doing so does not undermine the teacher’s authority. In fact, somewhat counter-intuitively, I believe it sets a good example to the students, showing that the teacher too can adapt their ideas, listen to others and have a positive growth mindset.
The idea of change is, of course, potentially daunting for those teachers who are more established in their ways. But it is the teachers who are willing to try – who strive to make learning as engaging and memorable as these viral memes – who ultimately make the best educators.
Teachers embracing 67
There are a myriad of helpful TikTok and Instagram accounts whose content is targeted towards teachers looking to understand their students’ slang. The aforementioned Mr Lindsey is one example this.
One teacher has incorporated a 67-style call and response in her classroom. When she shouts “6”, the children loudly respond with “7”. This is a great way of harnessing the children’s attention, by using their slang in a positive, rather than disruptive, way.
Yes, internet slang can be incredibly annoying for teachers, especially when they’re hearing the same jokes over and over again, five days a week. But it can also help create some of the most memorable lessons. Learning not to be afraid of the slang, but to welcome it and engage it, is the most important lesson for teachers to learn. And then, maybe one day, teachers will finally be able to count to ten again.
