system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why is teaching in academia looked at so badly?

I'm a PhD student hoping to graduate next Spring. I've got quite a bit of teaching experience over the course of PhD, and my goal after I graduate is to land a teaching-focused position at a university.

I talked to my department chair today about becoming a lecturer in our department after I graduate next year (I will have to hang around this city for a year or two after I graduate due to some family things). He laughed and said "If that is what you want to pursue, then ..." and went on to talk about it. It was pretty obvious that his response was implying that me *wanting* a teaching position was a bit absurd.

I have experienced similar scenarios over the course of PhD. Just recently, a professor in my lab asked if I was happy to be done with teaching now that the semester was over. I responded saying that it was nice to be able to get a lot of research done, but I enjoyed teaching so I wasn't really that happy. He laughed and said something like "Oh you like that? Well okay". My advisor routinely puts down my teaching ambitions with talks of why research is so important.

I know this is nothing new, and everyone knows there is a stigma against teaching. But...is there anything I can do to be taken more seriously as someone that wants to have a teaching-focused career in academia? Or will I be laughed at for the next 30 years by research-oriented professors?
gpt
Academic snobbery and elitism. I've encountered a lot of PIs, usually the stodgy older ones, who look down on alternate career pathways, industry positions, pre-medical undergrads, etc. simply because they're not interested in an academic research career. I've known many people who have hidden their true career goals from their PIs and secretly sought out mentoring elsewhere in the department for biotech/industry related career trajectories for these reasons. 

I'd suggest not talking too much about it too much with those who clearly aren't interested in supporting your career goals, seeking out the best training resources available to you, and looking for mentors within teaching and faculty development programs who you can follow up with for support and input on your career trajectory.