Booking & Scheduling App

Passion project — a booking system language schools actually need

First load may take ~50s on free-tier hosting while the API wakes up.

Problem

Across several language schools I have worked at, scheduling was always painful — teachers juggling availability in spreadsheets, students unsure what their learning options were, staff piecing together membership and class info by hand. I wanted to build the system these schools deserved.

Solution

A personal passion project: full Django + DRF backend with a React SPA for teacher availability, class catalog, student membership, booking, and cancellation. Designed for how language schools actually operate, not tied to one employer.

Build story

Started from patterns I saw at multiple schools — availability blocks, class offerings, membership gating.
Chose Django for ORM, admin, auth groups, and long-term maintainability.
Built scheduling services and a React SPA with role-based routes for students, teachers, and staff.
Added a demo sandbox so anyone can try it without touching real school data.

Django + React scheduling stack

React SPA calls Django REST Framework with JWT. Scheduling services handle availability, membership gating, and bookings; PostgreSQL is the source of truth. Django admin supports staff operations.

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Where it is now

Production-ready passion project with a public demo. The flagship app I keep building because I have seen firsthand how much language schools need tools like this.

Try the live demo

Open the demo (opens in new tab) — A language-school-style booking system: students buy memberships and book lessons, teachers manage schedules and write progress reports, and staff run the studio from one dashboard. This is a sandbox prototype — data may reset, and the API can take up to a minute to wake up after idle time.

Before you start

Cold start: The first click after idle time may spin for 30–60 seconds while the API wakes up. Refresh once if a page stays blank.
Mock payments: Membership purchases are simulated — no real card charges.
Shared demo: Anyone can log in and change data. The database may reset when the server restarts.
No real email: Confirmation emails are not sent in this environment.
Meeting links: Video links are placeholders, not real Google Meet rooms.

Demo logins

All accounts use password demo1234. You can also create your own student account from the sign-in page.

Role	Username	Best for
Student	`demo_student`	Booking, membership, progress, homework
Teacher	`demo_teacher`	Schedule, class requests, reports, homework
Staff	`demo_staff`	Studio-wide admin, plans, branding, metrics

What each role does

Student

Browse open lesson slots, book with tickets from a membership, request custom times, track skill progress, and complete homework.

Book a lesson — Calendar of open sessions — filter by subject, teacher, or time
Request a class — Ask for a specific time; teacher must approve before it is confirmed
My bookings — View and cancel upcoming lessons
Membership — Buy a mock subscription or ticket pack (Japanese or English plans)
My progress — Charts and session history with teacher feedback
Homework — View assignments and reply to journal prompts

Teacher

Own a class catalog, publish availability, open sessions for students to book, approve class requests, and write session reports and homework.

My sessions — Calendar of all your lessons; see who is enrolled
Class requests — Approve or deny student-requested times
New session — Open a slot on the calendar (must fall in your availability)
Student reports — Rate skills and leave notes after a lesson
Homework — Assign file uploads or journal prompts

Staff

Manage the whole studio: all teachers, membership plans, student accounts, branding, glossary labels, and reports.

Staff dashboard — List teachers; jump to their schedule or permissions
Studio schedule — Every teacher on one calendar
Memberships — Edit plan prices and ticket allowances
Glossary — Rename terms app-wide (e.g. Student → Client)
Sign-in branding — Logo and studio name on the login page

Recommended walkthrough (~10 minutes)

Student — buy membership and book a lesson
1. Sign in as demo_student.
2. Open Membership → choose Japanese or English → Purchase subscription (mock).
3. Go to Book a lesson → pick an open session → Book.
4. Open My bookings to confirm the reservation.
demo_student starts without a membership so you can try the purchase flow. Past sessions are pre-seeded for progress charts.
Student — request a custom time
1. Open Request a class → choose demo_teacher and a class.
2. Pick a time from the availability grid → submit.
3. Tickets are held until the teacher responds.
Teacher — approve the request
1. Sign out → sign in as demo_teacher.
2. Open Class requests → review the pending request → Approve.
Teacher — reports and homework
1. Student reports → open a past session → add skill ratings and notes.
2. Homework → assign a journal prompt or file task.
Staff — studio overview
1. Sign in as demo_staff.
2. Staff dashboard → see teachers and open Permissions.
3. Studio schedule → all sessions in one view.

Key concepts & troubleshooting

Key concepts

Class: A teachable offering (e.g. English Conversation · Intermediate)
Session: A specific time slot on the calendar
Booking: A student's reserved seat in a session
Ticket: Currency used to book; comes from membership
Class request: Student asks for a custom time; teacher must approve
Membership: Subscription or ticket pack tied to a subject (Japanese / English)

Troubleshooting

Login spins forever: Wait up to 60s for the API cold start, then retry
Login failed: Use demo_student, demo_teacher, or demo_staff — password demo1234
Can't book: Buy a mock membership first on the Membership page
No open sessions: Sign in as demo_teacher → New session to add a slot
Data looks wrong: Demo data may have been reset — run through the walkthrough again