I’m struggling to connect with the kids and I feel like I’m bothering them

I’m a 2nd year English teacher who just moved to a new school. I was planning to move towards differentiated instruction but I think I really need to just work on building the relationships first. <br><br>I’m a black woman teaching mostly students of color. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m 25, I’m petite and young looking, or I have short hair and a bald spot. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a lot of things, but I feel like they don’t take me seriously. It’s not that they’re outright disrespectful, it’s that they don’t even see me enough for me to be the bad gal. <br><br>When I try to connect with them, it’s just weird. We talk about whatever they seem to be talking about and I ask questions and share personal anecdotes. But I could be talking about the COVID-19 virus and they’re still on Fortnite. <br><br>I could be reading this wrong but I don’t think they like me. I wanted to start the year really positive but it’s just awkward. I think I’m being really weird up there. I’m not sure if it’s the same for everyone but I’m really struggling right now. I don’t feel like I’m improving. I’m just a black woman trying to get some kids to pass AP English.