Elementary school is a great place to learn the three R's.

But where do you go to learn about "Living and Dying in 3/4 Time"?

For legions of Parrotheads across the country, that answer is obvious. And for a Birmingham-area mom whose son joined family members for "his first pilgrimage to a Jimmy Buffett concert," it was an event worth sacrificing a little in-class learning for the coastal kind.

After the concert held recently at Oak Mountain Amphitheater, Amanda Sims (who said her son, Casey, maintains good grades and will not suffer academically for a single missed day), took the time to explain the educational benefits in this excuse letter to the elementary school: