First Duty Station with Kids!!!!

Hey Kevin. =)
Don't be nervous! It's a wonderful adventure! I spent 4 years in Nurenberg and LOVED it! My kids were 1 and 3 when we first went there and my oldest was school age when we left. This was 20 years ago so I can't speak to the level of education but I can say that for us, and our kids, it was an amazing experience! Even if the schools aren't very good (in my experience military schools are just fine!) you can fill in the gaps. Encourage the kids to read (most posts have libraries), buy games that challenge their math skills (card games) and spelling (Scrabble). Draw a one hour distance in travel circle on a map around the post you will be going to, be willing to explore! Look at what day trips are available through the on post travel. Learn some very basic German, the most important being "Ich nich sprechen Duetche, sprechen zie English?", I don't speak German, do you speak English? (I am sure my spelling is horrible, hehe! Teach your kids. Most Germans will know English but will not talk to you unless you make the attempt to speak German first. Be willing to make mistakes and let your kids see it! It will be a valuable lesson on so many levels.
The worst thing you could do is stay on post, stay around only Americans. If you can, live off post. It might be isolating at first but believe me, it is well worth it!
Wow, I am excited for you, enjoy your journey! =)

Go for it. Landsthul is not that far from Ramstein Air Base and then there is KTown. My husband was the military person and the rest were dependents and spent 8 years at Hahn in German 1983 to 1991.

The kids attended school on base which was DDODs and learned many things. There were always tours to take to find out about the area. In 6th grade daugther went to Austria for a week on a class trip to learn to ski. About every six weeks there was a class trip to some area Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Munich and local areas where grapes are grown for wine. My son went to Berlin, Brussels, Bentworth (sorry about sp), Amsterdam for football games in high school.

So brush up on your German and take your dictionary with you if you don't remember how to say (?) you can point to it and they will help you. Do get off the post or base and see the surrounding countryside. Do partake in the local festivities when invited. Do go volksmarching in the countryside and take pictures.

I don't know if Ramstein still does the annual air show but it is something to experience. Also New York's Eve is fireworks like our 4th of July in Germany. All in all enjoy your stay and take great pictures for wonderful memories.

The other S.

PS Oh how I miss the Autobahn and the pomme frites (french fries) and metworst.

As an adult and what I want in a school for my kids..I can't speak to education in Germany. I can say that when I was 1-6th grade, we lived in England (just a hop away from Germany) and I LOVED the DOD school. As a kid, I loved everything we got to do...the markets, the off base feild trips (museums, ice skating, ect..), the food (I'll never forget our first taste of fish and chips!), even just enjoying the countryside and walking around the little towns. We even had an overnight trip and got to go to the theatre to watch Matilda.

I remember my mom taking trips to Spain, Germany, Italy and many other places that not living overseas would never be affordable or attainable.

Being a brat and then both me and my husband being active duty left me always wanting to go back for the adult experiences but it was never in our cards. I say if you can go then GO, GO, GO!!!

The things they will learn simply getting to live overseas will make them better people! The DOD schools are good, like any school you have your good and bad teachers. My boys where born in the UK, and we would love to go back to Europe! We put in for Germany this time, but recently found out that they are more than likely going to medically retire my husband after the new year. I hope you get it! We put Germany as first choice each time, and ended up in Okinawa, the UK, and Alaska, but they have all been great as well! Good luck to you and your family.

Blessed Be

We have lived all over the US and the kids have been in DOD schools on US soil. They are good, some better than others, the parental involvement I found to be better in DOD schools than in the mainstream public schools.
If you choose to put the children in German schools they have a different schooling system. BUT is it better??? I can't say. I had a German foreign exchange student last year and she and my daughter were basically on the same level, THe German children are taught more of an integrated mathematics than ours. But by the end of 13 grades they have completed calculus and a little beyond, and by the end of 12 so have most of our children.
The language classes in Germany are taught at a much higher level than here in the USA, in Germany they need to know how to speak Italian or French to survive with their neighbors. My German student was very disappointed in Spanish class taught here.
My hubby spent all his time here. I really hoped for a Germany stint. It just didn't happen. Enjoy your time over there. The kids will get a wonderful education just being around the local people.