There was no question Thomas Johnson from the Atlanta Falcons was having a good time.

The smile on the defensive tackle’s face stretched from ear to ear at Sandy Springs Middle School, his body losing control to the rhythm of the music pumping into the gymnasium.

It may seem awkward — a 305-pound man doing step aerobics — but Johnson seemed at home among more than 60 eighth grade students in the gym Tuesday morning. It was a particularly interesting day for the lineman, who spent more than a year out of football before signing with the Falcons in the offseason. He spent that time working as a ninth-grade P.E. teacher at White Station High School in his native Memphis.

Johnson, quarterbacks Matt Ryan and D.J. Shockley, linemen Chauncey Davis and Vance Walker, linebackers Curtis Lofton and Stephen Nicholas and long snapper Mike Schneck traveled to Sandy Springs Middle School Tuesday as part of Hometown Huddle 2009 — a team-wide, city-wide service project that included stops to thank fans and work with children in the midst of the school day.

“This was like coming back to the classroom,” Johnson said. “I had a ball today. They had the stations easy to explain so I just went out and had a little fun, put my own little twist to it. I think the kids had fun.

“A lot of people think they can do it but you definitely have to have patience. You have to be a great teacher because every school is different.”

– story excerpted from the Atlanta Falcons web site