Sample Dedication Paragraph on Thesis

DEDICATION I dedicate my dissertation work to my family and many friends. A special feeling of gratitude to my loving parents, William and Louise Johnson whose words of encouragement and push for tenacity ring in my ears. My sisters Katie, Linda and Rhonda have never left my side and are very special. I also dedicate this dissertation to my many friends and church family who have supported me throughout the process. I will always appreciate all they have done, especially Suquesta Myers for helping me develop my technology skills, LaTanja Riley-Hedgepeth for the many hours of proofreading, and Ramona Taylor for helping me to master the leader dots. I dedicate this work and give special thanks to my best friend Nelson L. Jennings and my wonderful daughter Cimone for being there for me throughout the entire doctorate program. Both of you have been my best cheerleaders.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my committee members who were more than generous with their expertise and precious time. A special thanks to Dr. David Parks, my committee chairman for his countless hours of reflecting, reading, encouraging, and most of all patience throughout the entire process. Thank you Dr. Travis Twiford, Dr. Jerome Niles, Dr. Christina Dawson, and Dr. Neil Stamm for agreeing to serve on my committee. I would like to acknowledge and thank my school division for allowing me to conduct my research and providing any assistance requested. Special thanks goes to the members of staff development and human resources department for their continued support. Finally I would like to thank the beginning teachers, mentor-teachers and administrators in our school division that assisted me with this project. Their excitement and willingness to provide feedback made the completion of this research an enjoyable experience.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION ........................................................................................ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................... TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................ LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................. LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................... … CHAPTER ONE: THE PROBLEM Historical Perspective ................................................................... Purpose.......................................................................................... Theoretical Framework................................................................. Figure 1 ......................................................................................... Context for Mentoring .................................................................. The Needs of Beginning Teacher ................................................. The Needs of the Mentor Teacher ................................................ The Needs of the School Division ................................................ The Mentoring Program................................................................ Role of the Mentor ........................................................................ Personal Support ........................................................................... Confidence .................................................................................... Collegiality.................................................................................... Professional Community............................................................... Descriptive Research Questions ................................................... Definitions of Terms ..................................................................... Chapter Summary ......................................................................... Overview....................................................................................... CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY...