The History of Murphy-Cates Learning Center and Academy
The Beginning
In 1994, a new concept of exceptional teaching and academic excellence for students was born from the inspiration of Brenda Murphy, MBA, a home school educator realized the need for individual instruction of other home school parents in delivery methods of language arts and other academic content area instruction. The first workshop to teach parents and teachers how to understand and implement multi-sensory methods into the instructional equation was held in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her efforts mushroomed as the demand for tutoring of individual students grew in the home school community. Public and private schools began to hear of her unique methods and clamored for Ms. Murphy to provide similar instruction for their faculty.
To meet the ever-increasing demand for individual student instruction, the Murphy-Cates Learning Center and Academy (MCLCA) was founded in 1996 as a tutoring service for both children and adults. Brenda and her husband Russ approached the eminent educator and academic diagnostician Dr. Paul Cates about providing evaluation services for the incoming students of MCLCA. Dr. Cates was so enthused about the Murphys’ approach to learning, that he suggested a collaboration to develop a learning center that was more than an individual tutoring service. Thus, the educational philosophy of MCLCA became based on Dr. Cates proven track record of success that has benefited students around the world for twenty-five years.
Instructional Education Consulting
In 1997, Dr. Cates approached Ms. Murphy about consulting individually with home school parents who had used his evaluation services. He realized the parents needed guidance and support in implementing the instructional tasks required because of the seriousness and depth of the children’s learning problems. Brenda began consulting individually with parents to assist them in understanding the evaluations performed on their children as well as how to teach the curriculum prescribed by Dr. Cates to allow the child to learn. Parents began traveling from all over the United States and even Europe to meet with Brenda and take advantage of her special abilities to explain educational and instructional aspects so they can face the daunting tasks before them.
The Sail Away Story
One of the reasons for the success of MCLCA students was the new language arts materials Brenda was developing in the center based on Dr. Cates’s methodologies and instruction techniques. As a direct answer to prayer, Brenda discovered that there is a very simply structure and order to the English language that forms the basis of understanding. The Sail Away Learning series sprang into being and would become a core aspect of the academics at MCLCA.
In Sail Away Learning, Brenda took all her knowledge about the best way children learn and incorporated it into a language arts program that takes place “at the beach”. The “beach” becomes the environment for learning phonics and penmanship, and instructional elements are couched in nautical terminology. Students learn phonics, writing, and reading in a holistic manner that makes it fun rather than a struggle.
The first published pieces of Sail Away Learning appeared in 1999 for students at the kindergarten level. Subsequent series materials soon followed that teach phonics, reading decoding, spelling, penmanship, analogies, vocabulary development, grammar, oral expression, composition, and listening skills. The entire language arts series evolved to span K-12 language arts instruction including all teaching manuals and supplementary materials. To date, students of MCLCA have experienced tremendous growth in phonics and spelling skills through use of the Sail Away Learning program, many of whom have experienced leaps in aptitude measuring four grade levels in a single year.
Faith Christian Academy Launches with Murphy-Cates
1999 saw a new direction arise with MCLCA when the need for a home education “umbrella school” was identified that could meet the special needs of home school students and their parents. For some children, public or group education is not the answer but a completely home schooled environment is not adequate either. Something that combined the best aspects of group instruction and home instruction was needed. Faith Christian Academy (FCA) at the Murphy-Cates Learning Center was started to meet that need. Some students spend their entire academic career at FCA while others only need a year or two to fill in academic gaps, receive therapeutic, individual assistance with learning weaknesses and learn to manage learning issues.
Today
The Murphy-Cates Learning Center and Academy has expanded over the years since inception to meet the specialized instructional and educational needs of children. It is a place where students from gifted to developmentally delayed benefit from the direct application of educational philosophies and techniques of the Dr. Paul Cates. MCLCA is also a place where home school parents can learn to teach their children more effectively. Brenda has gained prominence in the field of education, being listed in Who’s Who among America’s Teachers and being a featured speaker at the Christian Booksellers Association International Conference. Workshops on the Sail Away Language Arts Learning System are conducted along with a wide variety of seminars on other educational and instructional topics. The Murphy-Cates Learning Center and Academy currently serves hundreds of students, provides dozens of workshops, and gives scores of presentations on an annual basis.