Maddox Jolie-Pitt to attend school in New York

It is being reported that Maddox Jolie-Pitt, 6, the oldest child of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, started school this week at Lycee Francais de New York. The lessons are taught in French at the $18,000/year private school.

An informant told the Post, that both parents arrived at school with Maddox on Tuesday and that "they were just like normal parents."

The couple is also parents to son Pax, 3 1/2, and daughters Zahara, 2 1/2, and Shiloh, 15 months.

Paparazzi photos were taken at the school on Thursday morning, confirming that Maddox is in attendance.

Source: NY Post

Thanks to CBB reader Mary Beth.

Comments

Hopefully this means that they plan on staying in one place for a while. New York agrees with them.

- MMM on September 6th, 2007

These kids seem to be getting a great education. The best that money can buy. From what I’ve gathered of their life so far, I think they will grow up to be intelligent, passionate and compassionate adults. I can see them all doing great things.

- Destiny on September 6th, 2007

I agree with Destiny, these children are very fortunate to have level headed and intelligents parents who are chooisng wisely in an increasingly global world.

I had a similar upbringing of travelling and living abroad as a child and I know this has helped me to be open and flexible, understanding and tolerant. This is not to suggest that if you don’t travel or live abroad you cannot be this way. In a lot of cases, it depends on personality and choices.

I just think it’s great how they raise their children and stability comes from within. Those children will feel safe and secure as long as they know they can count on their parents which I think they can.

- yaosa on September 6th, 2007

Is Angelina fluent in the French language?

- Michelle on September 6th, 2007

I agree w/ u Destiny. That comment “they were just like normal parents” cracked me up. Of course they are normal people that are normal parents. What do people think NORMAL means anyway?!LOL…. In regards to them being in NY, I know BP’s filming there, but I thought I read in an interview that they felt very at home in New Orleans, and were schooling the children (Mad) there. Maybe I misunderstood the interview. Or, maybe they adjust their place of residence as they go along.

- Campbell on September 6th, 2007

My parents didn’t speak French when they put us in a French school at least my mother, she learned with our homeworks!

- Jo Ann v. on September 6th, 2007

Angie actually does speak french pretty well not sure if she’s fluent she learned because her mom is fluent and she wanted to be able to talk to her in french which is also why i think she put madd in a french school. but i believe that when they were in france there was an article about how she had to translate things for brad because he doesn’t speak french.

- Malya's Mommy on September 6th, 2007

Wow, I am obviously very sheltered here in my bubble. I didn’t know schools like that existed! I thought school was hard enough as it is…I can’t imagine all the lessons being taught in a language I don’t understand. I hope they also speak English until the kids become fluent. Jo Ann, what was your experience like?

- Leigh on September 6th, 2007

I thought they were going to settle in New Orleans? I’m confused. It seems like this clan is in a different city every 5 days. Must be exhausting for all.

- Diana on September 6th, 2007

Leigh, they speak to us in French no matter what. A kid gets a language rather quickly. I am a Portuguese speaking native, and in a few months (when I was 3), I was fluent in French. I went to 4 different French schools (in Cuba, Angola, Portugal and South Africa) and they are all pretty much the same.
Normally, we start at age 3. And from 2nd grade, you learn a new language. At the end of your studies (till 12th grade), you are supposed to speak at least 3 languages (being French, English and German (for me)or Spanish or Italian or any other language you want to learn like Chinese, Thai, Serb…)
For kids like the Jolie-Pitt is awesome because it’s the “traveller” education, we have to know (almost by heart) the States, India, Japan (etc) geography and history when we have final exams (12th grade).
I could go on with more examples, I don’t know if moderators will appreciate though :”)

Sarah’s note: Hey, it’s interesting! Keep going if you want to!

- Jo Ann v. on September 6th, 2007

I don’t think they said they will settle in New Orleans, Brad said that is their base in America.

They’ve got work committments so they have to travel. After Brad is done filming in New York, Angelina has to go back to L.A. for work so I’m assuming the whole family will go there in a few weeks.

The Lycee schools are located all over the world so even when they travel, Maddox’s school work stays on track. Angelina has also said in the past that Maddox has had a tutor for a few years now and is being taught Khmer, the native language of Cambodia.

Can’t help but laugh because Matt Damon was recently talking about how many stamps his daughter’s passport has. He has been traveling the globe with his wife and two daughters while doing promotional work and shooting movies, yet no one worries about his kids. Lucky Matt and Luciana, atleast their traveling arrangements are not being questioned.

- Lisa on September 6th, 2007

It’s nice that Brad & Angelina can afford $18,000/year for the French Lycée, but for the rest of us, it’s a bit exorbitant. I and my children are dual citizens but we can’t afford to send them to the Lycée. Schools that like are mostly – yet not always – attended by children of diplomats, celebrities, bourgeoisie, etc. It’s a shame for hard-working, average families who want to keep to connections to their home countries (culture & language) but do not have the financial means to do so.
It’s also quite sad to see that the New York price is not the highest. L.A. and especially San Francisco are a couple of thousand dollars higher.

- Nadège on September 6th, 2007

I thought I remembered reading that they had hired a french-speaking nanny for Maddox a while back, so he probably already knows quite a bit of the language, and like someone else said, kids pick it up fast.

- Kate on September 6th, 2007

Kids are amazing on how fast they can learn different languages, my 2 1/2 yr old daughter understands and talks spanish and italian.
I would love to make her study english too, so she will grow up learning three languages

- sil on September 6th, 2007

Yikes! I would freak if I was that level of celebrity and someone posted the details, including address, of my child’s school.

But I did get a giggle that the $18,000/year bilingual school had misspellings on their web site:

“For security raisons.

Students from elementary will go in the upper floors with theirs teachers only.

Parents are not aloud any more to access the upper floors.”

JoAnn – your education sounds amazing!

- Victoria on September 6th, 2007

Nadège »» I hear you!
Normally for French people and “locals”, the price is lower. In Angola (my homeland), the price we had to pay along with the French was lower than with diplomats/expat children. And my gosh, NYC price is O_o… Even in countries where we weren’t “locals”, we paid 10 times less!

Victoria »» French are known to speak French only (kidding! Well, a bit). I live in France for a few years now and my accent in English went banana (although I’m glad I don’t have a French accent while speaking it!)
(They could at least pay an English-speaker or make the English teacher to correct it, they are quite good )

- Jo Ann v. on September 6th, 2007

I think that’s great. My parents travelled al the time so I was raised/educated the same way and totally benefited from it.I’m French and my parents put me in a German school when we moved to another country, then when we moved to Belgium they put me in an English/German/French school.I loved it.Knowing many different languages is one of the best things.

- ma74 on September 6th, 2007

Where we live (Montgomery County, MD) there are many public bilingual schools for Spanish, French, and Chinese. Children start in kindergarten or 1st grade(if you make the lottery). And they are completely free! They do not give any instruction in English, except English class. Our next-door neighbors made the lottery and their children (6 and 9) are fluent in Spanish. We only made the lottery for French, which we didn’t want. I don’t know about other places, but it is really the norm here. Many children go to public bilingual schools. In 6th grade, a third language is introduced. Those kids are so lucky!

- melanie on September 6th, 2007

Leigh, school like this exist a lot. French, English, German etc schools with bases all over the world. It is important, if only for the diplomats’ children, etc so they can be taught in their own language even if they live abroad.
Angelina and Brad, travelling so much and being involved in international issues probably value a multi-language education. And, it is much much much easier to learn languages the younger you are.
Moreover, Angelina`s mother was French. I also remember, while Angelina was pregnant and the family has been to Paris for such a long time that it was reported that Maddoxx started speaking a little French.

- nin on September 6th, 2007

Victoria
If is a bilingual school then there are no misspellings as raisons is french for reason.

- Jackie on September 6th, 2007

Victoria
If is a bilingual school then there are no misspellings as raisons is french for reason.

–

But that bit was in English..

- Rachel on September 6th, 2007

That is all so fascinating and makes me feel pretty dumb LOL! I took 2 years of Spanish in HS and don’t really remember anything. I wish I could speak multiple languages but most days I’m lucky to speak just the one correctly! But I guess like you say, it is a lot easier when you’re that young. My niece learns so many new things every single day that it amazes me she understands and communications as much as she does. I’m like, how the heck does a baby who has only been alive for 18 months old have such a large vocabulary when she couldn’t even speak at all less than a year ago? I’m sure there are a lot of kids that age that know tons more than she does, but even what she does know impresses me.

- Leigh on September 6th, 2007

The earlier you start, the better is goes.
When a kid is raised to be multilingual from very young, s/he will have this capacity to learn/understand other languages no matter when. Scientists say that if a baby is brought with at least two languages, a side of the brain develops in a way it can absorb everything.
I think I kinda like that theory

- Jo Ann v. on September 6th, 2007

Leigh – I know how you feel. I had six years of Spanish and all I can speak are the very basics.

My niece, who is 4, could count to 10 in Spanish when was 2 and that just blew me away.

These children have the possibility to do great things with their lives and I think the more languages that they can learn will be great.

- Angela, CBB Sports Contributor on September 6th, 2007

I am shocked and sickened that Celebrity Baby Blog would post this news, with the name of Maddox’s school and it’s location on it’s webpage! Way to protect those Celebrity Babies. In my opinion, that’s just opening up an opportunity for some crazy stalker to try to locate them. Shame on you!

- Kait on September 6th, 2007

This is not the first time Maddox is going to a Lycee school. He attended one when they lived in New Orleans in the winter/spring and then finished the year at the Lycee school in Prague when they were there this summer.

So Maddox probably knows a good bit of French, which is great since his family travels so much.

- Colleen on September 6th, 2007

Actually, “lycée” means “high school” when in France (or French speaking countries) and when it’s abroad, it’s kinda “big school”, from kindergartenn to 12th grade. So you can say either “lycée” or French school.

- Jo Ann v. on September 6th, 2007

This is what I want to know (it’s kind of on-topic, because we’ve been talking about how they travel around): what do they do with all their stuff? Like, remember when they were in France (I think) and they bought Mad that turtle? What became of the turtle? We often see them taking the children to toy stores and book stores, and I wonder what happens to all those things.

I’m sure there are special things that they take with them from place to place, but what about the other flotsam and jetsam?

I was so surprised to see Shiloh wearing a dress that had been Zahara’s. Not because I don’t think hand-me-downs are a bad thing, but just think: the last time we saw that dress, it was in Africa. Where has that dress been? Where do you store things like dresses you want to hand down when you move every month or so? I mean, I have a box in the nursery closet for favorite outfits that will be worn by my younger sons. But when was the last time their family returned to a house they’ve lived in recently to dig through a box of Zee’s old clothes to see what would fit Shiloh?

And, seriously, I want to know what became of the turtle.

- Michelle on September 6th, 2007

Jo Ann v. – Thank you for all your helpful and descriptive comments.
I didn’t realise that there were times that French natives/citizens could have cheaper tuition. I know that the Ministry of Education does accord grants (bourses) but it is never enough to cover the entirety of the tuition. I do think that the price is rather justified when you look at the quality of the education, however.

I was thinking that perhaps Angelina was influenced by Marianne Pearl and her son, Adam, while filming the movie about her life. They were all apparently very close, with Maddox and Adam becoming friends. Maybe that is were his first real exposure to French came from. Just a thought.

- Nadège on September 6th, 2007

The Lycée Française has branches in several large cities in the US (there’s one in NYC and one in New Orleans) as well as overseas, so that children in families that move around a lot can continue to attend a branch in another city and continue their education.

It’s an excellent school and academically it’s very, very rigorous. All the first graders are expected to be fluent in French and the kids have to speak French all day long in school. I used to work a block away from the Lycée in NYC and I used to see the kids in the pizzeria on their lunch hour jabbering away in French.

Madd will get a very solid education if he remains there.

- Judy on September 6th, 2007

Nadège »» Indeed. French school abroad are very rigourous and very rigourous (compared to schools in France) because they are private and headmasters want 100% of success for the BAC (12th grade final exams). Back in South Africa, we had a 100%

Judy »» Exactly, the classes are all the same.
I failed my 10th grade (whoops! Shame on me!) in Portugal and re-done it in South Africa. Only the commas weren’t the same, the lessons are directly from the French Éducation Nationale (Ministry of Education). The funny part on having final exams is that no matter where you are in the world (at least, depending on the jetlag), you start your exams at the EXACT same time the academy you’re attached in France.
Example: South Africa is related to Southern France. A pupil in France and a pupil in SA will take their pencils at the exact same time (7 AM for one, 8 AM for the other) about the same subjects.
I think it’s neat

(Boy, I talked too much already, but was glad to share my little knowledge around. Thank yall! Off I go! )

- Jo Ann v. on September 6th, 2007

Angie’s mother wasn’t French, she was French-Canadian (actually, she was Quebec and Native American, which is one reason Angelina has such an exotic look). I think she moved to France later in life because she used to be a model when she was younger and liked it. Just wanted to clarify!

- PSB on September 6th, 2007

I love the idea of a school that is the same worldwide for children of traveling families! Too bad it’s not more affordable, just like neither are most of the American Embassy schools abroad. But what a great idea for those who can afford it.

- emily on September 7th, 2007

Kids pick up languages really quickly. I live in Wales, where it’s now very popular to send your kids to a Welsh language school even if you don’t speak Welsh yourself. Over 3 quarters of the parents usually can’t speak a word. I went to one myself – my parents didn’t speak Welsh. I was fluent in Welsh after 2-3 months.
I think it’s extremely beneficial – I’m very good at languages which I think I wouldn’t be had I not been bilingual at such a young age. A lot of parents are scared of putting their kids into an education system in a language they don’t understand…but they don’t take long to change their minds.
I’ve done it with my kids too.

- Viv on September 7th, 2007

that’s great for their kids, but i wouldn’t say that the very few people that can afford that education for a 6 year old, are “normal”.

- danielle on September 7th, 2007

I’m Curious as to why not. why does them being rich and being able to give their kids that type of education make them not normal. i’ve read that comment alot about celebrities just curious as to why people feel that way.

- Malya's Mommy on September 7th, 2007