"Fixin' to die"

[ktwlpn]

Anyone see the story regarding the school nurse who thought one of the students had a routine stomach virus when the teacher summoned her only to discover the kid was showing signs of a stroke?In interviews she is quoted as saying she thought he was "fixin' to die".Discuss.Me first-color me appalled......

School Nurse Assumes Sick Kid She'''s Called to Help Has the Stomach Flu. One Look Has Her Calling 911

[NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

When I speak, people often ask me if I'm from "up north somewhere". No, I was born and raised in Georgia, and have been here my entire life. But in my neck of the woods, "fixin' to" is considered by many to be "talking proper", since here, the local term is "finta".

For example, one would say "I'm finta get ready for work in a little bit". So, "fixin' to" has been sliced up so much that the 'xi' in the word has been completely extrapolated; the 'o' in 'to' has been replaced with an 'a'; then the two words have been combined to form the word 'finta'.

Neither term bothers me at all. When interacting with my patients, I introduce myself using correct grammar. I listen to terms used by them in their responses to me and each other. Then I adjust my speech accordingly to better relate to the person I'm speaking with. I consider it all learning opportunities on how best to communicate important information to diverse population. Call it flexibility.

I would like to say that I would use correct grammar and proper English if ever I'm in the limelight. But who knows what will come out when those nerves kick in and the adrenaline starts to flow. The only fingernails-on-chalkboard statement for me is any initial conversation that begins with the words 'So' or 'Like'. I just can't stand that! So, when I read those threads, if I read those particular threads, I simply ignore the first word; pretend like it's not even there, or mentally translate it into what I would like to have read.

[ItsThatJenGirl, CNA]

I don't think anybody is arguing that it's a normal colloquialism in the south, and I don't know that it's worth getting irate about, but it was certainly a missed opportunity to educate the public that school nurses are actually able to formulate an assessment of a situation that is beyond what just anybody could come up with. "Fixin to die", while accurate in colloquial terms, isn't particularly all that different from how non-nursing folks could have described the situation.

Bold: mine

Saving his life didn't accomplish that?

[needtobeschooled]

Let me see if I have this right(and please correct me if I am wrong).

The nurse in question saves a child's life with her quick thinking and observation skills. Yet the OP is OFFENDED by the nurse using "fixin' to die" because it's not PROPER GRAMMAR or SPELLING? (I lived in Marietta, GA, and YES, "fixin'" is used quite commonly in the South)

Does that sum it up correctly?