Top Five Classroom Memes

Because knowledge is power...

Part of my job as a Year 6* teacher is to be heckled by my students while I try to teach them how to multiply fractions or write a setting description for a portal story (again). Such heckling takes many forms, from strange, unintelligible noises while I’ve got my back turned, to outright insults and attempts to contradict me when I state an indisputable fact—like, say, that Sabrina Carpenter’s music is a bit boring. Mostly, though, the heckles I receive consist of memes the kids have seen on TikTok or YouTube and assimilated into their daily lexicon. They change every year, of course, and last year’s favourites quickly fall by the wayside, dismissed by the current cohort as “cringe” (though the jury’s out on whether this word itself should still be used).

Anyway, I’m sure every teacher’s experience is different, but these are the most heard memes** in my classroom so far this year—my top five for ’25, if you will.

5. “Good boy!”

This is one I hear a lot, especially from the boys, especially whenever someone answers a question correctly, or receives a bit of praise from yours truly. It’s said sarcastically – obviously – and derives from a guy on TikTok who asks police offers for their badge numbers and then says “Good boyyyyy”. Go figure.

4. Crash out

This one is really annoying, not least because in my day to crash out meant to fall asleep. Nowadays, it means to get mad, completely flip out, or lose your shit in the most dramatic way possible. Kids will not only ask if you’re going to crash out, but they will also actively pursue the goal of making you do so. Which is nice.

3. Slay

I actually don’t mind this one, and I even use it myself, whenever I pass a group of girls in the corridor—girls who should either be inside their classroom or out on the playground but have instead gathered in a huddle to whisper mean things about their friends until a teacher comes by; at which point they stop, stand in silence, and smile awkwardly, until you throw up the peace sign, kick out your heel, and say, “Slay!” This immediately breaks the tension, as the girls descend into a fit of giggles or stare at you with absolute disdain; either way, you can now tell them, in the nicest possible way, to go back into class or get out.

2. Mid

This one is banned in my classroom, partly because of its association with internet lowlifes, who use it to describe women they deem to be “average” or less attractive than they apparently think they are. You know, women like Scarlett Johansson and Sydney Sweeney. Anyway, I hate this word with a passion, and anyone who uses it will probably see me crash out.

1. “Can I go to the toilet?”

An all-time classic, and probably the GOAT of disruptive comments in any classroom, for any age group, anywhere in the world. It doesn’t matter if it’s two minutes before break, or two minutes after; whether you’re midway through a set of instructions or you’ve just asked a really important question to which you’re hoping the child who’s just put their arm straight up in the air is about to answer. This is one you’ll hear approximately 237 times a day, and there is nothing you can say in response, other than the words, “Yes, but can you be quick, please?” before adding “But don’t run!” just as you see them sprinting across the playground.

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*That’s Grade 5 for all my American readers.

**In some cases, their usage is slightly concerning, and I’m not one to shy away from challenging my students on their use of certain words and phrases or questioning their knowledge of the origins of such memes. However, this is meant to be a fun piece and for the most part the kids in my class use these terms innocently and sparingly.