For the past six years on Tuesday mornings, Daniel R. Jackson ’18 has dressed in neatly creased pants, a crisp button-up shirt, and a sharp blazer adorned with a pocket square. He’s tied his necktie in a perfect Windsor knot.
Jackson then reported to Arthur Dixon Elementary School and tied maybe a dozen more Windsor knots. Sometimes more at the beginning of the school year. Usually less at the end.
The Illinois State University alum is a second-grade teacher in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) he once attended. Mr. Jackson, as he’s known at Dixon Elementary, is a popular teacher at the school on Chicago’s South Side. He’s even received some media attention over the past year, but it’s had little to do with his daily lesson plans.
It’s all been for Tie Tuesday.
“Young men wear ties, and young women wear ties or bows in their hair, and it’s all about learning how to dress professionally,” Jackson explained. “And it started when I was student teaching at Illinois State.”
The origin of Tie Tuesday can be traced back even further to when Jackson’s grandfather taught him how to tie a necktie before Sunday church service when he was 7 years old—the same age as some of his second graders. The value of that lesson stuck with Jackson. When he started student teaching at Jacob Beidler Elementary in West Chicago to finish work on his bachelor’s degree in elementary education, he gave Tie Tuesday a test run.
It was a hit.
So, when Jackson landed a full-time teaching job at Dixon in 2018, he started Tie Tuesday again. The Dixon students there loved it, too. So did their parents and guardians. Jackson’s fellow teachers and school administrators felt the same.
“It became so popular I had to extend it to other groups in the building,” Jackson said.
Tie Tuesday’s aim of teaching professionalism and responsibility has worked, and it’s evidenced by students’ behavior and academic performance.
“I tell (students) that what we’re doing isn’t just about wearing a tie on Tuesdays—it’s about tying together a community.”
—Daniel R. Jackson ’18
“We’re seeing a difference,” Jackson said. “We can’t say 100% of these students are making gains, but we can say—and we are proud to say—that 100% are making efforts.”
Parents and teachers have seen the influence that Mr. Jackson has on their students and have sought him out to reinforce their messaging. It’s not unusual for Jackson to have a 1-on-1 chat with a student after lunch or over recess at the request of a parent or teacher.
“We want to make sure they’re respecting their homes, respecting their school, and respecting themselves,” Jackson said. “I tell them that what we’re doing isn’t just about wearing a tie on Tuesdays—it’s about tying together a community.”
Awareness of Tie Tuesday grew with its popularity. CPS highlighted Tie Tuesday in a video on its official YouTube channel last year. Chicago’s Fox affiliate ran a segment.
“When I wear my tie, I feel I am a businessman,” one smiling student said in the CPS video.
“It makes me feel good about myself,” another told the Fox reporter.
National outlets picked up on the news story, and donations of ties began arriving at Dixon Elementary almost daily. Nearly a year later, they’re still arriving. Jackson estimates he’s received over 1,000 to date. He’s also heard from others wanting to emulate Tie Tuesday, and it’s happening as far away as Florida, but also as close as right down the hall at Dixon; a Young Women Wednesday program has been established to benefit young women at the school.
The overwhelming response to Tie Tuesday made it clear to Jackson that his program could benefit more young people beyond Dixon Elementary. He recently received 501(c)(3) status as a nonprofit foundation. Tie Tuesday Foundation is still in its infancy, but Jackson plans to teach youth outside his school’s walls the same lessons the program has taught inside Dixon.
That’ll include the value of community service, a passion that was instilled in Jackson as a student at Illinois State through his involvement in Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Jackson volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal and helped organize blood drives, among other community activities.
“I tell my students they need to be volunteering to make a change in their community,” Jackson said.
Founding a nonprofit is just the latest achievement for Jackson. He became chair of his department at Dixon in 2021 and has chaired the school’s Culture and Climate Team since 2022. He earned a master’s degree in principal preparation at Chicago State University last year. He hopes to become a school principal but isn’t ready for that next step just yet.
“I’d like to have some more experience in leadership in the district first,” he said. “Whether that’s a specific content area lead or chairing the civic engagement department, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Jackson stays connected at Illinois State. He joined the Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2021 and remains active in Black Colleagues Association and Phi Beta Sigma. Jackson proudly displays his Greek letters on a lapel pin most Tuesdays.
“My closest friends are Redbirds. I just love the Redbird community,” he said. “We’re a family.”
Jackson is busier than ever this winter. Founding a nonprofit is hard work, and it’s required some changes to Tie Tuesdays inside Dixon Elementary. School regulations prohibit the operation of employees’ outside foundations inside the district, so Tie Tuesday at Dixon has been rebranded as “Mr. Jackson University.” There are some differences—a group of young men spanning multiple grades now meets on Friday afternoons—but its mission of educating young people on values of professionalism and etiquette remain.
And yes, students enrolled in Mr. Jackson University still learn how to tie a tie.
“When you tie a tie, you’re bringing things together,” Jackson said. “And that’s what we’re doing here.”
Note: For more information or to support Tie Tuesday Foundation, please email Jackson at tietuesdayfoundation@gmail.com. Please do not send donations to Dixon Elementary.
