Sylvan Learning of Murfreesboro

Murphy Thomas Jr. had been a business owner for more than 25 years when he took over Sylvan Learning of Murfreesboro in 2021, and parents talk about him by name. "Murphy the owner is the absolute best," one parent wrote this month, after their daughter "really started to thrive in reading." The sign out front belongs to a national brand, and the center on Medical Center Parkway is locally owned, with Murphy reviewing every student's plan himself. When he is away from the center, he is usually camping or fishing.

The longest thread here runs through the teachers. Karen Johnson has taught at the Murfreesboro center since 2012 and leads its homeschool groups. Morgan Gibson started as an instructor in 2013, the same year she began teaching special education in Bedford County Schools, and in 2025 she became the center's Director of Education. Several others are current or former classroom teachers from around Middle Tennessee, so the person across the table from a struggling reader knows local classrooms from the inside.

What parents describe most is confidence. "They address my kids and listen to them," one parent wrote, adding that their oldest liked it so much she "asked to have her birthday here." Another said their son had been coming for over a year and was "excelling at school and gaining more confidence." For a child who has started to dread homework, that change is the whole point.