Postmodernism claims to shatter the mirage of essentialism by denying the image of a unified self. The result, it asserts, is the freedom to assume a new kind of authority, signified in the image of the "subject position." It assumes, further, that because the writer is capable of multiple selves, he or she will perforce manifest multiple voices. A close look at classroom practice, however, shows that this is not the case. Teachers are typically uncomfortable with unconventional voices and unwilling to encourage them. Data from recent studies show that the commentary of writing teachers and their evaluation of essays force students to fit themselves into very narrow confines of discourse and voice. Teachers are shutting down individual voices. A single student with different approaches (i.e., three voices) to writing assignments illustrates the kinds of problems posed when students choose not to follow--or are unable to follow--the narrow parameters of academic writing. It is tragic that capable students should find themselves defeated by the limitations of academic discourse. A study of 64 subjects--half teachers, half students--showed that both valued the formalist approach to evaluation above all others, that is, stylistic correctness according to convention. The study also showed that teachers and students expected student writing to conform to certain gender expectations and were assessed by how well they fit into those expectations. A solution for the student is to master the conventional voice. For teachers, it means recognizing that on the other end of every piece of writing, there is someone there, not something. (TB)