your concerns over not inviting your students based on downvotes for overrewarded posts makes close to 0 sense to me

I think this is the crux of the 'problem' (or, disagreement, if you will).

Those with heavy  Steem  / Hive experience seem to view downvotes as a sacred cow without which the platform would have crashed and burned long ago (and this may quite well be true).

As an outsider, I see the potential for downvote abuse and downvote wars as so anathema that I am now reticent to actively bring others on board until a viable alternative is in place.

In my numerous dialogues with @themarkymark about this issue (which we clearly disagree on, but about which we have been able to continue constructively dialoguing), he has stated numerous times that he basically views my concerns as a 'non-issue' (i.e. seeking a solution to a non-existent problem), that downvote abuse is rare, and that the benefits of free downvotes far outweigh the downsides.

I am looking at this from a newcomer's perspective; and I can tell you that what little bit of downvote abuse I have seen has been enough to convince me that my initial bullish view of Hive is perhaps unwarranted. The 'free downvote' represents such a stark potential for abuse of power and for ideological downvote wars and other toxic behavior, that it has seriously caused me to take a step back.

I am actively working with a handful of folks within the PoB tribe because they seem to share a similar ethos and a willingness and desire to experiment and try new ways to solve old problems. If we are successful, then perhaps Hive can adopt some of what we come up with. If not, then I will likely shift my focus away from the social-media aspect of Hive (and probably spend more time delving into SPK and other Layer 2 initiatives).