What kind of candy is in your bag?

As any seasoned trick-or-treater knows, a truly excellent haul on Halloween night is classified by collecting just the right mix of fruity and chocolaty, crunchy and smooth, novelties and classics. We got to thinking that the same can be said for an excellent special education team -- the right mix can make all the difference when it comes to weathering difficulty with flexibility, grace, and humor.

So, what do you find when you open your team’s candy bag?

Laffy Taffy

This person is flexible and good-natured, and always ready with something to lighten the mood with a good laugh. Be warned, though: too much of this one and you might break your teeth.

Tootsie Pop

This person is quiet and unassuming, and might even be considered boring to outside observers. But you know that there is something special hidden on the inside. The question is, how hard do you have to work to get to it?

DubbleBubble

This person offers something that you desperately need and you bring them onto your team even though you know that they’re not the best at what they do. The good news is that they work as promised for a little while. The key is to spit them out before they become bland and make your jaw start to hurt.  

Candy Corn

This person is divisive -- you either love ‘em or hate ‘em and there is no in between. They’re perfect for a season, though, and the people who love them are fiercely loyal. Keep them out of their haters’ view and you can expect great results.

M&Ms

This person is difficult to argue with. They have a colorful, crispy coating to protect their soft, sweet interior. They fit in well with just about any group and there are rarely objections to them being around. They’re never going to be the most exciting or inspiring of the bunch, but they’re consistent and reliable.

Everlasting Gobstopper

This person just. Never. Quits. They are rock-solid and tough as nails, and just when you think you’ve made it through a layer, you realize there’s another layer below that one. Of course, there’s being dedicated and then there’s being stubborn, and flexibility isn’t exactly their strong suit.

Pop Rocks

This person is explosive and reactionary, but can also be pretty great when the time is right. It’s hard to justify having too many in your bag, but they are super fun every once in a while when you need someone to temporarily shake things up.

Bit o’ Honey

This person is a classic, a veteran who has seen myriad others come and go and has survived it all. They are sweet but tough, two attributes that make them excellent teammates. Just make sure no one has a bee pollen allergy before adding them to your mix.

Starburst

This person comes in a variety of flavors, fully-formed and individually wrapped, which means that they’re easy to share. Sure, they’re easy to find and their flavors aren’t exactly inspired, but they make folks happy and they’re consistently crowd-pleasing.

I could go on, but I all of a sudden have a hankering for a peanut butter cup (of which there are never enough in my bag). Wishing you a perfectly composed bag of candy this year and, if not, that you can successfully trade for what you need! Happy Halloween!

(Special shout-out to the THFers who shared what kind of candy they would be and why during a recent discussion on our intranet. I’d put any of them in my bag any day.)