$22000 for DOD Public education? I'd keep googling.

 

Put my 5 year old in German kindergarten as local teach said she'd need less than a week to adjust. "Kein problem...." A week later she was playing with kids in our village and having no issues, and two months later was telling us what the nice lady at the store was saying...

We did this vice taking her to base schools, as we thought that even if she "got behind" her American counterparts at home the experience would be worth the tradeoff. There really wasn't a downside--she never had any problems moving right back into American public schools up on our return.

Sadly...my dad was dying and I left Germany with just 2 years on station. My girl lost her language abilities about as quickly as she gained them. However, as mentioned--I'd immerse my 2nd grade and under kids with the help of a tutor if required. The experience for my oldest was priceless, and she has great memories to this day of her time in German schools.

Personally, I just think it would be cool to live in Germany but not have to work the 14 hour standard Air Force days and deploy 120 days a year or more. You might even have the chance to learn the language, make some local friends, and savor the experience. My fighter tour over there was unfortunately just a blur of fun here and there between deployments...

 

That's what I would do as well. Just put them in the German school. They will be well ahead any US school when you come back to the states.

I grew up over there and my mom made me speak English at home and taught me to read and write with tons of US books.

For the kids you should be able to put them into US on-base boy/girlscouts for little or no charge to keep them spooled up on US stuff...

That's what my parents did with me.

Cheers
George

 

But George, you chose an airline career. I would say your judgement is lacking. Sarcasm....

 

+1...............

 

Touché!

All Y'all going to Köln have a Kölsch on my behalf!




Cheers
George

 

Put our kids in kindergarten and first grade when we lived in Germany. Zero language problems and no learning problems. We used English kids books and some home schooling materials to fill in the English/American gaps on the weekends. Sadly, we didn't keep their skills up after our return either.

I'm sure you've done some research but theirs is a track school system in later years. If not, wikipedia is your friend: Education in Germany - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It would also be great for their German classmates, since they would have a built-in english and slang tutor.

Viel Glück!!

 

Hope you get what you need off this forum 57hauler. I was blessed to have a wife that stayed home stateside with the kids while they were little when I was working overseas.

 

Yes they do. I talked with the principal from there. I'm not sure if they still have E-3s there or not. They did in the past.

 

They are E3's, but NATO. I guess that there are enough USAF support personnel to warrant a school. Nice area, good base.