The Pressure to Be Perfect

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

What was your crowning achievement as a student?

For some it's scoring the winning goal during a middle school soccer game. Others leave high school with the title of valedictorian or salutatorian. But, for Stephanie Zaner of Maryland, the one thing that sets her apart from the average student is that she hasn't missed a day of school--ever.

Never. Ever. Ever.

From the day the now 18-year-old entered kindergarten until her recent graduation from high school, Zaner has not missed a single minute of school. Though, as the upbeat teens tells it, her streak hasn't been easy to preserve. Earning her perfect attendance award was fraught with anxiety and regret.

"There were times I felt completely overwhelmed and thought I was never going to be able to maintain this image that everyone had of me," Zaner said.

That's because in addition to maintaining a perfect attendance record, Zaner is also a straight-A student, and she's been that way since the fourth grade.

So not only has the unusually healthy student been in class for 2340 days, she has also earned all A's for the last nine years straight.

The only problem: Zaner says the last two years of her life have been the most stressful period ever.

Zaner, is a self described perfectionist, worrier, and overachiever, and now that her attendance record is in the books, she's beginning to realize how much she missed out on in the last decade of her life.

"I didn't get to do any senior skip days," Zaner said. "I didn't get to do any college visits or attend school sponsored sporting events."

Still, Zaner's hard work taking multivariable calculus and studying for Advanced Placement exams paid off. She'll be attending the University of Maryland in the fall, where she has been selected to enroll in the Honors program.

So how do Zaner's parents feel about their daughter's perfect record?

Mom and dad Zaner say they are not surprised by their offspring's achievements as perfection is in Stephanie's blood.

Zaner's parents say Stephanie is an extraordinarily healthy kid (she must be given that CDC studies show that the average kid gets anywhere from 6-10 illnesses a year), and insist that they never pressured her to set an attendance record.

I just wonder how long Zader's record will last once she starts college with classmates, who would rather hit the sack than the books.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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