I'd like to share a story with you. Through a wonderful continuous donation, our library is able to invite every second grade student in our school district to come to the library for a field trip. They get a special wallet, can get a library card, spend an hour with us learning about the library, and hopefully leave with a few new favorite books. During one of these visits we had three classes visiting at once. Now, I was standing in front of the room, doing some quick math in my head to figure out how many students there were in the room. There were two classes with 23 students and one with 21. I proudly said to these kids, "there are 67 of you visiting the library today." They absolutely lost it! They spent a full minute doing the whole 6 7 hand thing. They were so fast, I didn't stand a chance. And, let me tell you, I don't think they'll ever forget that visit. Honestly, neither will I.
In an article from Torrey Maldonado, he says, "my saying 'six seven' was a unifier." And, he's so right. The kids in that room were unified, and the fact that I just took it all in, unified me with them as well. Maldonado goes on to say, "using 'six seven' can take us into common ground with young people." He encourages adults to use it, and he himself uses it in both his teaching and writing. Could creating a connection with a child be as simple as this nonsense slang term? Maybe not, but it's a start.
To read the full article from School Library Journal visit here.
[Not Gonna Lie, "Six Seven" and Slang Low-key gets Kids Attention. Campbell, E. December 8, 2025. pearlandrubys.slj.com]
https://pearlsandrubys.slj.com/2025/12/08/not-gonna-lie-six-seven-and-slang-low-key-gets-kids-attention/
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