A high school principal in the South Bronx is under a barrage of criticism after her recent online activity was discovered by her students. A Facebook profile picture of hers surfaced and subsequently spread like wildfire around the school. The photo depicted her scantily clad and dancing with a bare-chested man while covered in what appeared to be melted chocolate.
According to The New York Daily News, Principal Sharron Smalls is also currently being investigated by city education officials for falsifying student credits. Allegedly, Smalls gave some students chemistry credit for cosmetology courses and geography credit for tourism classes. These mishaps on her part might now lead to as many as 100 seniors not being able to graduate this year.
Smalls, as the head of an educational institution, must understand that she has a responsibility to maintain the credibility of her place of employment. Yes, Facebook is a personal forum, but publicizing a controversial photo on the Internet is nothing short of unprofessional. Smalls has instantly compromised her high school’s little remaining respect and credibility, and for a school that already has an F rating, it becomes even more important to maintain some semblance of reputability.
Without a doubt, Smalls should be entitled to do as she pleases outside the realm of her professional life, but she should realize that it reflects poorly upon her as a professional to post documentation of these activities online. It broadcasts the message that she does not take her position seriously. And the the prevalence of Facebook usage among high school students made it inevitable that the picture would be discovered and publicized.
Smalls’ predicament begs the question: where do our professional lives end and our personal lives begin? With the ever-quickening onset of technology and social networking, the lines can become blurred between work and play, often with dangerous consequences.
Those who post on Facebook, Twitter, blogs or other online forums must realize that that information is easily made public and therefore can bleed into and influence one’s professional reputation. Smalls, as a representative of her school, should have learned that sometimes, personal aspects of life must be sacrificed one’s job, even if that sacrifice lies in simply not posting an incriminating picture or writing a curse word in that status update. We, as professionals, must maintain a certain standard of credibility and professionalism throughout all aspects of our lives, not just during our nine-to-five daily grind.
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