From students handing in last minute work to grading final exams, it's obvious that teachers have a heavy load when semesters draw to a close. It's expected that teachers will grade the papers accordingly and efficiently so that the final grade can be calculated and presented to a student's transcript immediately.
The story of Scott Brown winning the Massachusetts senate seat is an excellent reminder that politics is a lot like sports. People root for the underdog. A game in which one side gets crushed isn't that fun and sometimes you cheer for the other team when one of its skinny little players makes the free throw.