At The PE Specialist we work with lots of awesome freelancers, illustrators and technology advisors, but we have 2 main team members that keep the wheels on this bus running smoothly.
Meet Ben and Marcus, a dynamic duo that when brought together created a synergy so powerful that it shook the very foundation of the gym in their Elementary School PE Classes.
Ben Landers | Founder |
Ben Landers is a K-12 certified Physical Education teacher and has been teaching K-5th PE since 2007. He has completed the National Board Certification in PE and also has a Masters in Education from Southern Wesleyan University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of South Carolina.
Ben also serves as a Clinical Model Teacher for the University of South Carolina, helping to mentor future Physical Education teachers as part of their graduation requirement.
Ben had always enjoyed sharing ideas and saw a need for more resources for PE Teachers in the online space when he began teaching. He launched ThePEspecialist.com in 2014 in an effort to provide an amazing resource for PE teachers.
He has a passion for kids and teaching quality physical education lessons that will empower students to be the best they can be. Being a PE teacher is such a great opportunity to have a positive impact on the kids that you teach, but his hope is to also impact more students by providing resources and ideas to teachers.
The reason he started this website is to share knowledge, inspire teachers, add value to the Phys Ed community and help solve some of the problems that teachers are struggling within schools today. It makes Ben smile to think that through this website, he might be a small part of kids all over the world falling in love with sports, exercise, and fitness.
Ben has presented his ideas and led professional development at multiple conferences and districts throughout the U.S. (like this one) and online. He’s also published multiple E-books, E-Courses and Curriculum Guides (all of which are available for PE Specialist Members).
Podcasts have changed Ben’s life in so many positive ways so it’s been a huge honor to have been featured on a few PE podcasts . Here’s a few links if you want to check out some of the conversations (Experience the Buzz, The Teaching Academy, The Super Sized Physed Podcast, MOVRS Podcast, ThePhysEdCast, Shape America and The PE Umbrella). He enjoys podcasts so much that he even started his own podcast called The PhysEd Q & A Show with his close friend and PE Superstar Marcus Nellems.
When he’s not teaching or creating PE resources, Ben likes to stay active and loves to get outside whenever possible. Aside from teaching he loves learning more about and practicing photography and videography. He also enjoys going on adventures, camping, kayaking, paddleboarding, hiking, surfing and lots of other “outdoorsy stuff”.
Ben is also a big believer in the power of mentorship and serves as a Mentor and financial supporter to a local non-profit organization (Ezekiel Ministries) that empowers and equips at risk youth in the Columbia, SC area.
Teaching is great, hobbies are nice – BUT his number ONE priority in life is to spend time investing in his family because they are the biggest blessing in his life and are SO MUCH FUN to hang out with. He married his soul mate Lauren after they met in College and they now have four little minions… I mean, awesome kiddos, who are SUPER cool, always perfectly well behaved, obedient and never even think about being disrespectful to their parents … jk 😉
A Note from Ben: I hope that you find this site extremely helpful and full of inspiring ideas. Although I am a “PE Specialist”, so are YOU. I am also just a very normal guy working hard to try and figure out the best way to help kids achieve their best everyday. If you have any advice, feedback or ideas – I would love to hear them. I really appreciate you spending time here and hope that you find all the content valuable. Let’s work together to bring some serious respect back to the Physical Education profession and win the hearts of students everywhere!
A Few Snapshots of My PE Class Below
Marcus Nellems
| Chief Support Officer |
Marcus is a K-12 certified Physical Education teacher and has been teaching K-5th PE since 2010. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2010, with a Master’s in the Art of Teaching (MAT). He received his undergraduate degree from Butler University in 2007 in Communication Studies.
While attending Butler University, Marcus played on the men’s basketball team and to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
While in pursuit of his Master’s degree, he student-taught with Ben and they both envisioned a website designed to help physical education teachers provide quality lessons for their students. Marcus and Ben taught PE together for 6 years and after Ben launched the site in 2014, Marcus joined to help in email support, resource creation, and website design.
Marcus has a passion for teaching, helping students enjoy physical activity, and sharing knowledge of the profession to other educators.
When not teaching or providing support, Marcus is spending time with his family. He has a beautiful wife, Whitney, and one son, Indy!
Thanks for Checking Us Out
We work hard to make this the best resource that a Phys Ed Teacher could ask for, let us know if there’s any way we can assist you or if you’ve got a burning question about teaching PE hit us up on the contact page and we might answer it on our next Podcast Episode