Essay Sample: The Influences of the Social Sciences in My Life

Every Sunday morning, I did not look forward to as a child. My mom would make a priority that all of us were up and ready to go to church. We were at church every single Sunday because my mom taught Sunday school. While my mom was teaching, my sister and I were in Sunday school classes ourselves. There were multiple times that I tried to fake being sick so I could sleep in. However, my mom somehow always knew I was faking, therefore I never got to sleep in. My dad always was active in the church as well. He was part of multiple Bible studies and would sing during services. My family and going to church greatly impacted who I am today. For this reason, I choose Individual Development and Identity as one of my areas of social studies. Furthermore, I picked Individuals, Groups, and Institutions as my last area of social studies. 

My family played the biggest role in my individual development and identity. My immediate family consists of my dad, mom, and sister. My dad’s side of the family came from Norway which influenced my dad. In his twenties, my dad was part of a mission trip that took place in Norway. For his trip, he learned to speak Norwegian. Till this day he can speak a little bit of the language. As I grew up, he would speak to me in Norwegian and I started to learn the language as well. However, sadly, I do not remember much of it today. Being part Norwegian influenced what my family ate during the holidays. At any family gathering, there has always been lefse and rommegrot during Christmas. Furthermore, family is important to my dad. We would always have gatherings at our house. My dad would make sure I saw all my family on a regular basis growing up which is a main reason why I am close with my extended family. My dad has influenced me in many ways; love of family and Norway being only a couple. 

My dad is not the only person who has impacted my life, my mom has influenced me as well. My mom grew up as an only child and her parents did not have a lot of extended family. There where only a couple family members on her side which caused me to become incredibly close with my grandparents. My grandparents would watch over my sister and I often when we were little. During this time, my grandma would teach us how to cook and bake our favorite recipes. When we moved to Glyndon, my mom became a Sunday School teacher. When I got older, my mom asked me to help her. From helping her teach, I realized my love for teaching. There were some Sundays that she was sick or had a Bible study to go to and I would teach the class by myself. When I told my mom that I wanted to be a teacher, she was supportive and has continued to help my journey to become a teacher. My mom is the reason I have a close relationship with my grandparents. Also, she has is the reason realized my love for teaching.

Another person who has influenced my life is my sister, Kaylen. Throughout elementary school, I struggled with learning. Reading and math were not easy for me to learn when I was young. I would get pulled from class to get extra help throughout the week. I remember telling my sister how much I hated feeling behind compared to my other classmates. After telling her this, my sister began helping me almost every day after school. She would help me do all my homework and fully understand the material. From this, I was able to get on the same reading and math level as the other students in my class. Looking back, I realized this also started my love for teaching. Kaylen helping me succeed in school, made me want to help other kids succeed as well. 

For the next area, a combination of school and church have influenced me. I got the opportunity to experience public and private school. From kindergarten to 8th grade, I went to DGF. This allowed me to experience learning with more students in my class. Also, it gave me the opportunity to make more friends. I learned that everyone is not going to have the same opinion on certain topics. Public school was more diverse than private school. I am grateful that I was able to experience public school because it gave me a more realistic view of the world. It helped me realize how privileged I was compared to most of my other classmates. If I went to private school my whole life, I do not think I would have realized how privileged I am compared to most kids my age. I am grateful that public school opened my eyes at a young age to how grateful I should be for what I have. 

When I started high school, my parents decided to switch me to a private Christian school. I moved from DGF to Park Christian and started my freshman year knowing nobody. However, that quickly changed. Park Christian was a small school compared to DGF. I had thirty classmates which made it easy to meet people. Park Christian challenged me academically and spiritually. A private school education was more demanding than I was expecting. However, the education I received in high school has helped me immensely in college. It has influenced the teacher I want to be as well. I want to teach how the teachers at private school taught me. They expected a lot from each student however, they supported us along the way, and we always knew they cared for us. 

Going to Park Christian inspired me to start going to church more in high school. Going to a Christian school allowed me to grow my faith in ways I would not be able to in a public school. It made me want to go to church as often as I could. Church became a place I did not go because my parents made me, but a place I wanted to go to grow my faith. Also, it impacted my view of traveling. I was never interested in traveling however, after seeing people from my church go on mission trips, it has inspired me to want to travel. Also, church has made me more confident. It has provided me a safe place to branch out and meet new people. 

In conclusion, I believe my life has been defined more by the individual and family. My dad, mom, and sister have influenced my life tremendously. They have done this through being the reason I am close with my extended family, helping me grow in my education, and inspiring me to be a teacher. Furthermore, school and church have helped me become the person I am today. Public school has helped me see how privileged I am and has helped me get a more realistic view of the world. Private school and church helped me grow my faith. Many factors in my life have influenced my decision to go into the education field which I am very grateful for.