D. Suzanne:
Thanks for your cogent reply. I hope that I didn’t give you the impression that I thought course evaluations were a valid measure of my (or any professor’s) teaching skills. Like you, I understand that these evaluations are poorly constructed tools that the administration uses to make life-changing decisions regarding faculty hiring and tenure. I do not agree with but accept this fact.
I also agree with you regading “edutainment”. Many of my students don’t seem to understand that they are not paying for a grade, they are paying for an opportunity to learn.
BTW: I was a grad student too, once. It actually wasn’t that bad of an experience. I learned a great deal from my work as a TA as well as my work in the lab. As far as I am concerned, the upside of the Ph.D. far outweigh the downside of TA/grad school. Hang in there!
Manda Jo also has it right. If you really want to learn, get ye to a small, liberal arts college with a good academic reputation. There you will find deeply committed teachers who are experts in their academic area. You want to go to a prestigious research university? Wait until you are a graduate student or a post-doc.
Eissclam.