DEAR ABBY: I teach elementary art and was explaining to my fifth-graders how to incorporate their experiences into their art. As an example, I showed them an oil painting I had just completed that was inspired by a recent traumatic event. I had been robbed in my home and left bound and gagged. I took pains to describe the various emotions I experienced while waiting helplessly for my husband to return home and untie me. I showed the students how the painting reflected those emotions.
The class listened very intently. When I finished talking, one of my students raised his hand and asked very seriously, "Mrs. K., how did you ever manage to paint that with your hands tied behind your back?" -- BOUND TO KEEP TRYING, NEW HOPE, PA.