To teach or not to teach

During my time at illustrious (major research university) MRU 2, I began to think that I would love a teaching career at one of the top teaching colleges in the nation. This is not to say I don't enjoy and excel in research. But there is something about having the product of my labor being illuminated young minds that is many times more rewarding than simply seeing my name on yet another journal publication. I love that "ah hah!" moment students studying science get when their eyes light up and a subject they once feared is now exciting and rewarding-- and I love helping them get there.

A recent conversation with a young assistant professor in the physical sciences at a top liberal arts college put this to question. I asked him what aspects of his job he would change and his answer was "I would teach less, and I would want more resources to do my research." Needless to say, this made me think "That sounds a lot like an MRU faculty position... why did you come here?" The truth is, Professor X is not the first to make comments like these. Many colleges that were once teaching oriented now have significant research requirements for tenure (poorly communicated requirements I should add on the suggestion of Professor X). Without the financial support or the reduced teaching load of an MRU (eg, 3 courses versus 1 taught per semester... anyone who has taught knows how incredibly time-consuming a 3 course load would be), faculty scramble to teach, grade, meet with students, apply for grants, run research (more hands-on at teaching colleges), and do the various service activities required of them. Having spoken to several faculty members at top liberal arts colleges, I'm convinced this is a more time-consuming position with worse work-life balance than that at any MRU I've experienced. Thoughts?