just got hired this past week to teach mostly 11th and some 12 graders at a high school in a lower income area mostly with minorities. Yet i don't know how to connect with the kids. Do I need patience.

I worked last year with 8th graders and it was one of the hardest jobs I had due to the fact that the kids were extremely misbehaved and would call me names and disrespect me everyday, throw trash, refuse to listen etc.

now fast forward to today I just got hired a new job at a high school. these high school kids do not disrespect me or misbehave in class but are rather indifferent. I am the third teacher they had after the first one left due to personal reasons and having a fill in sub for the remaining time until i got hired.

The classes are really quiet and sometimes dead but I do give them assignment and they never walk out of class or intentional disrespect me. Some of the students who don't work would rather just lay their head down then be distracting.

They don't call me by my last name and just say Mr. even though my last name is up on the board.

They don't make messes in their classes and clean up after themselves.

I do greatly appreciate that most respectful towards me but many also do not want to be friendly and sometimes act indifferent.