Why Google Forms Never Really Worked for My Classroom Sign-Ups

For years, Google Forms was my go-to whenever I needed parents to sign up for something. Field trip chaperones, classroom volunteers, supplies for a celebration, you name it.

It was free, easy to use, and I could put a form together pretty quickly. What wasn't to love? Well, as it turns out, quite a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I actually like Google Forms. I've used it for all kinds of things over the years, and it does exactly what it's supposed to do. The problem is that it wasn't really designed for the types of sign-ups I needed as a classroom teacher. And somehow, I always ended up doing more work than I expected.

The Problem With Too Many Volunteers

Here's a perfect example. Let's say I needed four chaperones for a field trip. I would create a Google Form, send it out to parents, and wait for the responses. Sounds easy enough, right?

Except now I have eleven parents who want to come, and I only have room for four. Which is great! I love that parents want to be involved, but now I'm the one who has to figure out who signed up first, who gets to come, and how to let the other seven parents know we don't need them.

So now I'm going through a spreadsheet, checking timestamps, and sending emails to parents who volunteered their time. Not exactly what I had in mind when I thought I was saving myself time. And let's be honest, those emails aren't always fun to send. Parents are offering to help, and the last thing I want to do is tell them they can't.

And Then There Were the Reminders

Getting parents signed up was only half the battle. I still had to remember to send out reminders before the event. That meant going back into the form, finding the responses, collecting email addresses, and sending another message.

And of course, I usually remembered I needed to do this when I was home at night trying to get ready for the next school day. Because apparently, there is always one more thing to do.

Google Forms made it easier to collect information, but it didn't really take the organizing off my plate. I was still the one managing everything.

Google Forms Wasn't Really the Problem

The more I used Google Forms for sign-ups, the more I realized that it wasn't necessarily the tool's fault. Google Forms is great for surveys, collecting information, and asking questions. I still think it's useful too and continue to use it in other capacities.

But a classroom sign-up is a little different. If I need four chaperones, I only want four people to sign up. If I need five boxes of tissues, I don't need fifteen families sending them in. And once parents sign up, I want them to receive a reminder without having to add it to my own to-do list. That doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it?

I didn't want another spreadsheet to manage. I wanted something that would do some of that work for me.

That's Where EduSignup Comes In

This was one of the frustrations that led my husband and me to create EduSignup. I wanted something that worked the way teachers actually need it to work.

If I need four chaperones, I can create a sign-up with four spots. Once those spots are filled, they're filled. No sorting through responses, no figuring out who signed up first, and no awkward emails telling parents we don't have room for them.

And reminders? Those can be sent automatically, too. One of my favorite parts is that I don't even have to spend time building the sign-up myself. I can simply type something like:

“I need 4 chaperones for our field trip on Friday from 9:00 to 2:00, and 3 parents to send in snacks.”

EduSignup's built-in assistant, Quill, creates the sign-up for me.

I can review it, make any changes I need, and share it with parents. And parents don't need to create another account just to sign up. Because really, who needs another username and password?

One Less Thing on My To-Do List

After more than 25 years in the classroom, I can tell you that teachers are pretty good at finding ways to make things work. We create spreadsheets, make checklists, send reminder emails, and figure out workarounds for just about everything.

But just because we can do all those things doesn't mean we should have to. That's what I kept coming back to when we created EduSignup.

I wasn't looking for something fancy. I wanted something simple that would save teachers time and make organizing classroom activities a little easier.

Google Forms still has its place, and I'll probably always use it for certain things. But when it comes to organizing volunteers, collecting supplies, or scheduling conferences, I want something that actually takes some of the work off my plate.

Because at the end of the day, teachers have enough to do. And spending Sunday night sorting through a spreadsheet of volunteer responses shouldn't be one of those things.

See how EduSignup makes classroom sign-ups easier →