Have you ever tried so hard to explain something to someone, but they just stare at you as if you’re speaking another language? You know, with their mouth hanging open and their head tilted to the side and you’re just sitting there like I cannot explain this any better or more than I already have; Please find a way to understand.

That’s how I feel when I discuss politics or education with a good majority of people. Recently, the debate about free education came to a head when the #MillionStudentMarch gained popularity. Basically, the idea behind the march is nationwide education without a cost. The movement claims that, since America is the richest country in the world, its citizens should receive a free college education.

Until recently, I had no idea that this movement even existed. Here I sat, oblivious to the fight that so many were planning to try to spread the awareness of what a free education should entail. I was only informed when I saw a tweet from one of my former high school classmates that read, “Free education is stupid. And if you disagree you’re stupid too.” So, I opened up Google on my phone and did a little research. And then I added my two cents to the conversation.

I shared a picture with my classmate that read, “What if the cure for cancer is trapped inside of the mind of a person who can’t afford an education?” His argument? We, as a country, can’t afford it. So I played devil’s advocate and asked, “How do European countries afford it?” The answer? Taxes (find out more about that here!)

His answer was that he didn’t know. That disappointed me more than the tweet that claimed that I was stupid if I believed in “free college.” Make an argument, but, at least, do some research before you plaster it on social media.

Basically, I broke my own rule of never getting into arguments on social media, and gave my two cents. I argued for the fact that lack of education perpetuates violence, and that giving a population as a whole a higher education would mean better, well-rounded people with values. Education isn’t mandatory, but those who chose to work for their education could do so without suffering from crippling debt for the rest of their lives. And then I argued that maybe it wasn’t necessarily free education that we needed, but, at least, a more affordable higher education. And then my former classmate dropped this on me, “Anybody can go to college for cheap enough if their grades are good enough and they are willing to get help.”

Let me tell you (briefly) how my college education has panned out financially:

• I applied to a state school that is 12 minutes from my house to stay close to home and save money
• My mother claims me as a dependent on her taxes, and she makes too much money for me to be eligible for much aid. The thing is, my mother has not paid a single cent toward my college tuition. I am on my own because she claims that I should be finding more scholarships (but the ones available are mostly need-based. So, I’m back to square one).
• Because my mom makes too much money, the only thing I am offered is loans that don’t even cover the cost of a semester for me.
• I work two jobs and go to school full time. Each semester, after loans are applied, I still owe the university $1,500. I make roughly $700 a month total between both jobs. Factor in a car payment, insurance payments, and a ton of doctor bills (because I’m an old woman in a 22-year-old body), and I’m left with barely enough money to fill my gas tank, let alone pay for my tuition.

I’m an empathetic soul, and I will always fight for those who can’t fight for themselves because I know what it’s like. I know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck. I know what it’s like to put $1.27 in your gas tank on a Thursday and pray it lasts until your check is deposited the next day.

I hate taxes just as much as the next person, but think of it this way: wouldn’t you rather do more for those who want to do for themselves? I say, if I’m making enough money to live comfortably and someone asks me to help them get an education so that they can make their life better (or their family’s life better), who am I to turn my nose up to them?