Hey, so...do ya'll have ridiculous professors that don't try to teach?
My chemistry, economics and english professors really like not teaching, I mean... dang. Do they not get paid to teach?
Ughh... I'm getting so depressed, I hate school!
You know, in four and a half years of college, I had a few bad professors, but I don't think I ever had a professor who visibly disliked teaching a course. I have, however, heard about the existence of such people. Ideally, it's best to avoid these people by consulting your fellow students and websites like ratemyprofessor.com
before course registration. Once you're already at the guy's mercy, I guess the best you can do is learn from the book.
Now as to your question, interestingly the answer is
not exactly. Professors get their money from various funds other than undergraduates' tuition. Professors get funding from various sources for their research grants. Although this isn't actually how they get paid, they're expected to obtain grants and do research as part of their job. Teaching your undergraduate courses is another part of their job. But they're also supposed to deal with graduate students (grad level courses, research, etc.). And then there are administrative duties. In other words, professors get paid to do a lot of things, and teaching is only one of them.
Among professors and TAs, there are a few different attitudes you'll find. Some enjoy teaching (don't worry, that's the type of TA I plan to be next year). Others just see it as part of the daily rigamerole. And then there are those who genuinely believe that teaching is a waste of their time, and they should be allowed to devote their entire day to research. Those are the guys to avoid!
