What do You Meme?

With students doing hand motions when they hear certain numbers or spotting colorful
paper planes stuck to the ceiling, it seems like there is always something new each season
that students have to keep up with.

“Students have been doing trends since there was school back in the darker ages,” shared
Ms. Babcock. “Whenever you get two kids together, there's going to be a trend. When I was
in school, there was no internet yet, but there were trends. They just moved slower.”

Currently, students have become more and more obsessed with two specific numbers.

“I feel like the most prominent [meme] right now would be the six-seven meme,” explained
junior Trevor Nichols. “It’s like whenever the answer to a math problem is 67, all of the
students will just start saying it and doing the hand motions.”

There have been many trends over the years that have evolved and come in waves. While
some find these things hilarious, others may find them distracting.

“Honestly, it really depends on the situation,” stated senior Sofi Araujo. “If we're just
hanging out and people are whipping out memes, then I don't care. I have dabbled in meme
culture… but when I'm literally in the middle of class and I'm trying to learn, I don't really
appreciate hearing ‘six, seven’ in the back of the classroom.”

These memes are more prevalent in certain classes than others, especially math-related
classes.

“It’s usually near the end of the block,” shared Nichols. “I just let it be once off and then
done.”

These things can be bothersome for many, but instead of trying to combat them, some
teachers have decided to play into the memes and jokes in order to help students with their
work.

“There was a test question that involved lots and lots of sixes and sevens, just to see if they
got the pattern. That would have helped them answer the rest of the question if they figured
out the pattern,” Ms. Babcock mentioned. “If they didn't figure out the pattern, they still
could actually get the question right by doing the work the right way.”

When students see teachers trying to stay in the loop with memes and trends, they have
mixed feelings.

“In a mocking way, it's kind of funny,” said sophomore Chloe Mooney, “but if they're
seriously doing it, I find it a little strange.”

Other teachers, however, refuse to let the memes infiltrate their classrooms.

“In my College History class, Mr. Ketcham said that if anyone says ‘six-seven,’ he will fail
them,” Mooney chuckled.

The jokes and memes may seem harmless to some, but teachers have to do more research
to make sure nothing inappropriate is circulating.

“When [the teachers] hear a new thing that is going around from our kids… we’ve got to
really do a deep dive in the research to make sure it's not something that we shouldn't be
using at school,” said Ms. Babcock. “A lot of times kids use things and they have no idea what
it really means, or they think it means something and it doesn't.”

Although memes can be fun, some trends can be dangerous to others or even to the
students themselves.

“Some of the trends can be dangerous, like right now with the sticky notes that they fold
into an airplane shape that's really sharp, and then they put a staple on the end of it and
flick it to the ceiling,” explained Ms. Babcock. “Somebody could lose an eye!”

Not everyone is against the new memes and trends, but some believe it would be wise to be
more selective when using them.

“I'm not a meme hater, I swear!” exclaimed Araujo. “I just think that there is a time and a
place.”