It is an unfortunate conundrum that students are subject to power differentials between themselves and their professors. Free thinking and growth are what most students are trying to develop; they want their own voice. That voice is subject to the consequence of a grading system. I am not an advocate of "everyone gets a trophy for participating", however, without the freedom to venture beyond the parameters set forth by those in power, students become conditioned to stick to the parameters outlined by their professors. Freedom to explore different schools of thought is a liberating idea!