Experiencing some holiday schedule chaos?

If you’ve been an itinerant for more than… oh, about two minutes… you already know that almost nothing goes as planned this time of year. You walk into a school ready to dive into your beautifully prepared lesson, only to find a birthday party, a surprise guest, a fire drill, a craft day, a concert rehearsal, or a room you suddenly no longer have access to. And just like that, the plan you built with care goes up in holiday glitter.

Now, here’s the thing I always remind myself—and every TOD I coach and train:
The job is never about the perfect plan. It is always about the child.

Our role has always required flexibility, creativity, and a calm “I can work with this” attitude. But during the holiday season, that flexibility becomes your superpower.

So today, I want to walk through the five Plan Bs from a recent Tuesday Hack training that I offered (available to view on YouTube HERE) because they’re practical, doable, and they work. I’ve used every single one of them in real classrooms, and they’ve saved me over and over again.

And as you’ll see, each Plan B isn’t just a backup option… it’s a chance to deepen your understanding of your student and support them in the exact real-world situations they’re navigating. That’s the heart of our job.

Plan B #1: When you "can't pull them now...."

You walk into the classroom ready to work…
…but today, there’s a special guest.
Or a social worker.
Or a birthday treat.
Or a special lesson/activity they “can’t miss.”

We’ve all been there.

You could get frustrated (and trust me, I’ve been there too), or you can let this become a golden opportunity: an on-the-spot observation session.

I personally have observation built into my IEP minutes.  SLPs have used the 3-and-1 model for years, and it’s time DHH teams embrace it, too.

For every three sessions of direct service, you take one session of equal minutes to observe or consult.  These minutes can happen all at once or can be broken into segments (observation before a session or afterwards.)
It’s not cheating.
It’s not watering down services.
It’s best practice.

And here’s what I love about these observation minutes:

• You get to see your student communicate with peers—not just with you.

• You see how they track the teacher.

• You notice if they’re nodding along or actually following.

• You see if they initiate, retreat, fake-it-till-they-make-it, or look lost.

• You spot subtle access issues you’d never catch in a pull-out room.

I cannot tell you how many times these unplanned observations revealed something HUGE—something that helped me write better goals, advocate more effectively, or make meaningful adjustments.

So when you can’t pull?
Stay. Watch. Collect data. Learn.
It counts.

Plan B #2: When They’re Headed to Concert/Play Practice

Nothing derails a pull-out session faster than an entire class lining up for a rehearsal.
You see bows, Santa hats, jingle bells, glitter eyebrows… you name it.

And your student? They’re swept right along.

But here’s the secret: holiday songs are PURE LANGUAGE GOLD.

Take a picture of the lyrics (teachers will hand them right to you), and suddenly you have a ready-made, relevant lesson:

• vocabulary

• articulation

• phonological awareness

• word discrimination

• comprehension

• expressive practice

• even self-advocacy

Have your student observe process of entering and exiting, then pull them in the back of the room to review the lyrics.  Our students often sing words they don’t understand—or in some cases, can’t even hear.
I once had a student sing “Jose can you see?” instead of “Oh say can you see?” and didn’t even blink.

This Plan B doesn’t just salvage the day—it gives them access to what the whole school is singing.

This is real life.
This is exactly where our work matters.

Plan B #3: When Your Space Has Been Hijacked

Every itinerant has walked into “their” room only to discover an IEP meeting, a testing group, or a reading circle taking over.

Instead of squeezing into a closet—yes, I’ve taught in a coat hallway before—you can shift into a school walk-and-talk, one of my absolute favorite functional language activities.

During school walks, you can build:

• incidental vocabulary (janitor closet, tech lab, front office)

• WH-question skills

• inferencing

• communication repair

• describing artwork

• environmental awareness

• understanding routines

• previewing next year’s teachers

• ideal seating choices

• classroom acoustics (loud vs. quiet rooms)

And let me tell you—students LOVE this kind of lesson.
It feels grown-up, exploratory, and connected to their daily life.

You’re not scrambling for space—you’re using the whole school as your classroom.

Plan B #4: When Fun Activities Are Happening and You Don’t Want to Be “The Bad Guy”

The holidays bring crafts, games, gingerbread STEM challenges… all kinds of things students don’t want to miss.

And frankly?
Sometimes pulling them feels mean.

That’s when you switch to a push-in model.

Sit beside your student.
Do the craft with them.
Chat with their peers.
Listen to the directions the teacher gives.
Watch how your student handles transitions, noise, and rapid instructions.

It’s priceless.

And bonus: the peers see you as part of the classroom community, not someone who steals their friend away.
That reduces stigma tremendously.

I’ve had classrooms where kids ask,
“Mrs. Kessen, can I come too?”
And sometimes I say yes.
Because community matters.

Use these moments.
They’re full of meaningful data and connection.

Plan B #5: When YOU Need Something Fresh (Holiday Fatigue Is Real)

Sometimes the one who needs a Plan B is… you.

When everything feels stale or you want something seasonal and engaging, pull out the Holiday Self-Advocacy Bingo (available free from The Online Itinerant), real-life role play scenarios, or calendar-language lessons.

Students need:

• communication repair practice

• listening fatigue awareness

• strategies for noisy social situations

• access to family games

• tools for talking with relatives

• skills for chaotic holiday routines

• a chance to rehearse what’s coming

These holiday tools are rich, functional, and incredibly relevant.

And if you haven’t used the Observation Tool for Mainstream Education (OT-ME) (also free from The Online Itinerant) lately?
Dust it off. It’s a lifesaver when a surprise observation suddenly becomes your session.

It walks you through environment, access, engagement, FM use, AT functioning, and even provides a ready-to-go report template.

This is the good stuff—the work that follows students out of school and into real life.

A Final Word from Me to You

During the holidays, schedules will shift. Things will change last minute. You’ll lose rooms, lose students to rehearsals, and lose the quiet predictability of your fall routine.

But what you won’t lose is your ability to make the moment meaningful.

Every Plan B lets you:

• protect access

• build language

• support self-advocacy

• gather authentic data

• strengthen relationships

• meet your student right where they are

And that’s what makes you an outstanding teacher of the deaf—not perfect plans, but purposeful presence.

You are steady.
You are flexible.
You are exactly what your students need during the most chaotic weeks of the year.

Want more resources and support?  The Online Itinerant offers support, resources and community to support you all year long.  

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL ACADEMY HERE

SUBSCRIBE TO THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE

FAQs

Q: How do I count observation counts toward service minutes?

A: When you write your IEP, set up a 3-and-1 model and write observation minutes directly into your  services. This is standard in SLP practice and equally applicable to DHH when written appropriately.

Q: What do I document when the plan changes unexpectedly?

A: Document what you observed, supported, or taught. “Observed participation during [XXX] lesson; collected data on following directions and peer communication” is perfectly appropriate.

Q: Are walk-and-talk school tours academically justified?

A: YES. They build vocabulary, language structure, WH-questions, inferencing, self-advocacy, environmental awareness, and functional life skills—all common IEP goal areas for DHH students.

Q: How do I handle push-in when the room is loud or chaotic?

A: Use it as real-time data. Watch fatigue. Model communication repair. Help your student access peer language. Loud rooms are access challenges your student faces every single day—it’s valuable to see it.

Q: What if the teacher doesn’t want me to push in?

A: Reassure them that this is still your DHH session—you’re simply choosing a model that protects the student’s access and honors classroom activities. Most teachers appreciate the collaborative approach.

Q: Should students miss “fun things” for direct services?

A: I prefer not to cause my students to miss "fun things" during holiday chaos. Use fun activities as opportunities to embed goals, observe interaction, and build rapport. It’s still direct service—just in a more natural context.