TEACHER OF INTEREST
The ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
BY DONNA CRARY
Many in the legal community of the 19th Circuit know
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Darren Steele as a distinguished county court judge
who serves in Martin County. Appointed to the
bench by Gov. Crist in 2009, Steele oversees misdemeanor
and juvenile cases.
Yet many may not be aware that in his spare time, Steele is
an adjunct professor at Indian River State College. The judge,
who joined the faculty in 2016, teaches courses in criminal
justice and paralegal studies. A natural in the classroom, the
college recognized him in 2019 as Adjunct Professor of the
Year for public service education.
“Judge Steele is an excellent instructor as demonstrated
by his enthusiasm and dedication to his students’ success in
their courses and careers,” notes Beth Raulerson, department
chair of Paralegal Studies/Legal Assisting at IRSC.
For Steele, teaching is a perfect fit with his judicial role. He
credits mentors who have been exemplary role models who
have guided him in his career and feels that instructing in the
classroom helps pay it forward.
“It really ties in to go out and educate — the idea being
that we need an educated citizenry, whether it’s teaching at
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a community college or when we bring the middle schoolers
in to watch court,” he explains. “Anything that we can do to
make the court more transparent and more user friendly, so
people understand what court and citizenship are.”
Steele’s IRSC classes are highly interactive and he encourages
his students to participate and become independent
thinkers. He uses the Socratic method of teaching that encourages
students to develop critical thinking skills and get a
better understanding of the material.
“You have to reach them where they are,” he says. “What
is a way of making them think? Criminal justice can be a very
traditional, rigid focus. In my class we use witty videos and
skits — anything to see the big picture.”
One of the main criminal justice courses Steele teaches is
Law and Social Control, which is a senior level class that
covers numerous polemical issues including bail reform,
minimum mandatory sentencing and the role of the public
defender.
Immigration is another hot-button topic that is discussed in
his classroom. To give the students hands-on experience, he
has the class create its own immigration system, comparing >>
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Judge Darren Steele is an
adjunct professor of criminal
justice and paralegal studies
at Indian River State College.