What I Learnt from My Learners (Part II)

As a trainer cum teacher, it's always a pleasure to come across exciting ideas and insightful thoughts that my learners share during classroom discussions.

I usually take this as an opportunity to know their perspectives, and learn from them too. Being a life skills coach, it's great to train my learners for 21st century life skills.

One most crucial life skill is 'Leadership' that has been constantly ranked as One of Top 10 Skills of 2025 by World Economic Forum.

Recently, I had an amazing discussion over 'Locus of Control' as one of the major components of 'Leadership Toolbox'. This concept was developed by Julian B. Rotter in 1954, and has since become an aspect of Personality Psychology.

This concept is usually divided into two categories: internal and external. If a person has an internal locus of control, that person attributes success to his or her own efforts and abilities.

A person with an external locus of control, who attributes his or her success to luck or fate, will be less likely to make the effort needed to learn.

Here in this series of 'What I Learnt from My Learners', I am featuring some of the brilliant responses by my amazing young learners.

Enjoy the read!

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Talking about being a player or a victim, Nandini Asthana shares her honest confession, "I can't say straight if I'm player or a victim; and also can't choose because it depends on the situation, sometimes I stand alone and think out of the box. That time maybe I'm a player and sometimes I do things what others are doing whether they are wrong or right, so here maybe I'm a victim."

Jahnvi Singh confidently remarks, "My life has taught me quite a lot till now and all the hurdles that I faced, have only made me stronger and more aware about people and the society alike. I was always a curious child and always raised questions for stuff that I just didn't get. I feel I'm 75% player and 25% victim and I think it's is a good number at this stage of my life, and I know there's scope for improvement and I am definitely up for it."

Manasvi Mudgal asserts, "My attitude towards life has always been to look at the bright side of the things and stay motivated and positive as a person. I think I’m a Player, not a Victim. I believe that whatever happens, happens for good only..."

According to Dipasha Gautam, "Life is a game, all you have to know is to how to play it. Well, I have felt like a victim at times, but I’ve been a player too. Thinking back now, I have apologized to my mother upon breaking a vase saying, 'I broke the vase by mistake.' which may look like I took the responsibility for my actions completely but I didn't. The truth was that I broke the vase by my carelessness although it was still unintentional and a mistake. I want to start building up my mindset as a player and start taking control over things that are in my grasp."

Diksha Jain mentions with a sense of conviction, "I believe that sometimes there are situations which make us victim and we can't do anything as they are beyond our control. A person is not a player all the time. I think at times I am a player, and at times I am a victim. I know there is a great scope of improvement and I am working on it. I am ready to take all the challenges for my improvement."

Vagisha Khandelwal has something interesting to share. She says, "The word ATTITUDE itself tells us: Active Teens Taking Initiative To Understand Driving Experiences. To be very honest, I am a positive mindset person, but by seeing some situations, I sometimes think negative. I never quit easily; I try to complete my work until the end and always try to think of something new and creative. Most of the time, I am a player because I understand my responsibilities, and perform my duties."

To conclude, here is what Ritika Srivastav has to share, "I have played the role of a victim in early years of my life. Later, I changed my way of thinking and started having a more positive outlook towards life. Today, I understand the value of responsibility and I believe I have become a player now."

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I personally think, the inputs from these young minds are truly wonderful, and teach us quite insightful lessons on leadership.

Next time, when you hear anything wonderful from your learners, do feel free to share with the world; because,

In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn. - Greg Enriquez

note: All the above-mentioned learners are presently pursuing Bachelors in Journalism & Mass Communication, and Bachelors in Digital and Mass Media, from UPES (University Of Petroleum And Energy Studies).