Other articles by George Sánchez:

One man's cancer journey'I feel like a chemical factory,' and other stops along the treatment trail The turbulent times of Roger Pfeuffer Horne out of touch, program backers sayDebate on TUSD ethnic studies descends into shouting match TUSD Ethnic Studies targeted TUSD's No. 2 resigns, eyes Marana top job Mystery donor gives $1 million to school School arrest puts TUSD librarian on paid leave 16 students named Merit scholars; most plan to attend UA

Construction
Green Valley Heating & Cooling
HVAC Service Tech Administrative & Professional
Oracle Controls
Office Assistant Health Care
Carondelet Surgery Center
Operating Room RN's Health Care
Old Pueblo Practice Management
Surgical/Medical Biller/Coder Trades/Construction
Osmose Utilites
Foremen General
Border States Electric
Warehouse Associates General
SOS Exterminating
Termite Tech FT

Within months of becoming president of the Tucson Education Association this summer, Steve Courter found himself at the center of contentious negotiations between Tucson Unified School District teachers and district administrators. A contract was reached only after a historic protest in which more than 40 percent of TUSD's teachers called in sick on a Friday.

A Missouri native, Courter comes from a family of teachers but didn't enter the profession until 1990. Before that, he worked with U.S. Department of Commerce, and later as a private consultant, helping businesses obtain technology export licenses to sell to China and the Soviet Union.

"That's where I learned to love negotiating," he said. "There was always differences between departments on what was safe to export."

Here's a quick Q & A:

Q: You arrived in Tucson in 1992 from Los Angeles after teaching for two years there. What brought you to the Sonoran Desert?

A: I knew I wanted to stay in the Southwest. Although I was ready to leave Los Angeles, I wanted to live in a medium-sized city, so it really came down to Albuquerque and Tucson. I spent a few days in both cities and decided I liked the environment of Tucson better. I had no trouble ... getting a job as a bilingual teacher in TUSD.

Q: How did Tucson edge out Albuquerque?

A: I wasn't familiar with either city very much. Mostly I just watched the local news and read the newspapers and toured around both cities a little bit and felt more comfortable in Tucson.

Q: You said you were able to land a job with TUSD as a bilingual teacher. Were you doing that in Los Angeles?

A: Yes, in South Central, over by West Vernon and the Harbor Freeway. I was at West Vernon Avenue Elementary School. You know where the University of Southern California is? I was just a few blocks from USC.

Q: What drew you to teaching?

A: I wasn't really all that happy in business. I come from a family of teachers and I decided to try my hand at teaching.

Q: You think you'll be leaving Tucson anytime soon to do anymore traveling?

A: Not on a long-term basis. I'm at a point in life where I have to think about things like pensions and insurance. I am hoping that when I retire from teaching, I'll still be young enough and in good enough health that I can use my teaching experience, especially my ESL teaching experience, and perhaps do some travel that way.