Atlanta first graders send viral Falcons tips

With the Falcons up and down three and six records so far, we're all still trying to make sense of what this team is, right? One common thread in their three victories, though, words of wisdom from some of Drew Charter School Elementary Academy first grade students. Dear Atlanta Falcons, to be a better team, go faster. Good advice. But they even drew a picture Throwing the ball. And the idea, I guess, is not going to be an interception, a fumble, or a pick six, okay? The goal will be to catch that ball. We were watching yesterday. This kid's like, no Charlie, we beat the 49ers Step into the first grade gifted classroom of Miss Jerry Chang, also known to her two and a half million followers as @MissChangGifted on TikTok, a group that went viral after a quirky class question. We're season ticket holders and I was born into this. I love Atlanta. I root for all of our teams, right? I'll go Atlanta. And we start out every class with a shared time to help build that community. And I always go last. And I was like, y'all, my Falcons, they're struggling. They've lost their first two games. So I did what any good teacher would do. I turned it into a writing assignment. I was like, oh. And it really wasn't planned. It was an aha in the spur of the moment. I was like, can I give them some advice? These kids wholeheartedly believe. That when they give advice, we win. When you were first seeing their responses and what they wrote, what was your reaction as you were kind of going through, just laughing? My favorite was the kid who wrote absolutely nothing. Did y'all see that one? He had nothing. He was like, I got nothing for you. And I actually talked to the kid's mom. I was like, this is amazing. And I was like, hey, did you not have any advice? He goes, Ms. Chang, I just didn't know what to write or what to say. I said, I don't know what to say either. But it was just, try harder. You got this. Run faster. It was just, I was genuinely laughing. I was like, I got to make a video out of this. When you hike, throw the ball. Throw to the farthest right person. Then right, then left, pass, then dodge. Touchdown! I love it. Short and sweet. I think you should make more touchdowns. As they say, out of the mouth of babes. Keep your eye on the ball, never give up, don't give up, never give up. If not a lot of good people are in the game, then you should get better people in the game, but I did say no offense. The assignment is just another example of being the kind of teacher that Ms. Chang says she wishes she had growing up, and the impact she has on her students, and vice versa. Teaching's hard. It is a hard profession, but it's also fun and it's also fulfilling. So I try to share a little bit about the real parts, like complaining without complaining too much, but also the joyous and the fun parts. I think people like that, especially an older teacher, like not enough makeup to cover up my years in teaching. I've been doing this for a long time, and I think people look at me like, wow, she can do it for this many years. There are some good qualities about teaching. Why do you love teaching so much? The enthusiasm, especially elementary school, I've done everything from kindergarten and I've worked all the way through the university system. The enthusiasm of learning among young children is unmatched. And I tell people all the time, I do not report to my principal. I report to little people. If I'm absent one day and I come in the next day, they're like, where was you? And I was like, I had a doctor's appointment. What kind of doctor? Why weren't you here yesterday? We missed you, Ms. Chang. And I just, I love that. I love teaching these kids and the kids in this community. And it's just... They make me old and young at the same time. That makes sense. And with age may come some wisdom, but these first graders already have solid words of wisdom that seem to be working for the Falcons.