--- title: Teacher Will Cancel Final Exams if Taylor Swift Calls Him description: Your move, Tay canonical: https://time.com/3896210/taylor-swift-high-school-exams/ author: Samantha Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-26T16:32:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:26.768Z og:title: This Teacher Will Cancel Final Exams If Taylor Swift Calls Him og:description: Your move, Tay og:url: https://time.com/3896210/taylor-swift-high-school-exams/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe061fb5a24d45ea/6987eec72dce01edff9e1b78/swift-taylor.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2217 og:image:height: 1247 og:image:alt: swift-taylor og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Teacher Will Cancel Final Exams If Taylor Swift Calls Him twitter:description: Your move, Tay twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe061fb5a24d45ea/6987eec72dce01edff9e1b78/swift-taylor.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Teacher Will Cancel Final Exams If Taylor Swift Calls Him > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=18737e62-f18c-4c95-a887-1eef1eae8333&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=18737e62-f18c-4c95-a887-1eef1eae8333&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=18737e62-f18c-4c95-a887-1eef1eae8333&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: 25 Iconic Taylor Swift Instagrams in 25 Seconds [Watch (HLS stream): 25 Iconic Taylor Swift Instagrams in 25 Seconds](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/I8WlXTNY.m3u8) (0:35)  _Published 2014-12-11. 25 Iconic Taylor Swift Instagrams in 25 Seconds_ by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman May 26, 2015 4:32 PM UTC  Taylor Swift onstage during the 50th Academy Of Country Music Awards at AT&T Stadium on April 19, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. Taylor Swift onstage during the 50th Academy Of Country Music Awards at AT&T Stadium on April 19, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. Mike Windle—ACM2015/Getty Images by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman May 26, 2015 4:32 PM UTC Students at Skyview High School in Billings, Montana, might get out of their world history finals this year — if they can somehow get Taylor Swift to call their teacher. A student named Ike Stoner came up with the deal — and the instructor, Colter Pierce, agreed to it. If Stoner could use the Internet to get Swift to give Pierce a call, then the students would be exempt from their exams, KTVQ [reports](http://www.ktvq.com/story/29137569/skyview-students-taylor-swift-challenge-goes-viral). “Pretty much all semester, I’ve been talking about Taylor Swift,” Pierce said when asked why the “Shake It Off” singer was the celebrity chosen for this contract. Stoner admitted that the deal started out as “kind of a joke,” but as it has gained more and more likes and shares on [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/stoneman802/status/601082011801915392)and [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ashton.j.goodell/posts/1014699281897549?pnref=story), that phone call seems possible. Stoner has been circulating a picture of the contract — which was drawn up and signed on the classroom whiteboard — along with a photo of himself and Pierce shaking hands to seal the deal: > [](https://twitter.com/stoneman802/status/601082011801915392) So far, Swift hasn’t acknowledged the stunt — but she’s got plenty of time until finals begin. Your move, Tay. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3896210/taylor-swift-high-school-exams/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3896210/taylor-swift-high-school-exams/"},"headline":"This Teacher Will Cancel Final Exams If Taylor Swift Calls Him","datePublished":"2015-05-26T16:32:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:48:26.768Z","description":"Your move, Tay","url":"https://time.com/3896210/taylor-swift-high-school-exams/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrity"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe061fb5a24d45ea/6987eec72dce01edff9e1b78/swift-taylor.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe061fb5a24d45ea/6987eec72dce01edff9e1b78/swift-taylor.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"swift-taylor","caption":"onstage during the 50th Academy Of Country Music Awards at AT&T Stadium on April 19, 2015 in Arlington, Texas.","creditText":"Mike Windle—ACM2015/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3896210/taylor-swift-high-school-exams/","name":"This Teacher Will Cancel Final Exams If Taylor Swift Calls Him"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"25 Iconic Taylor Swift Instagrams in 25 Seconds","description":"25 Iconic Taylor Swift Instagrams in 25 Seconds","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/I8WlXTNY/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-12-11T16:58:18.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/I8WlXTNY.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3896210/taylor-swift-high-school-exams/","duration":"PT35S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3896210/taylor-swift-high-school-exams/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```