Yes. But, I'd add that this isn't what they should do, it is what they do. I'd also say that it doesn't have to go so far as passion. The act is what makes them what they are. Having the computer grade the paper, makes the student a tree that falls out of earshot. I have this saying: "What you do is what you want." I believe it. Perhaps because I believe it, I find this so absurd. I think to do otherwise would be to confuse the means and the ends. -I think we are there.It sounds like you're saying teachers and students are not so much there to teach and learn as they are to follow passions, live lives, and do things that express the human condition and their humanity.
On the other hand, if I am as passionate about my essay topic as you are about cancer research and I'm writing it to communicate my thoughts on a topic I care about, then it would be kinda nice if a human read my thoughts and responded to them.