Well, that hits on something I see everywhere now. People take their kids to watch glassblowers at those historic villages, but the kids learn more from making a lopsided bowl in art class. Same with my grandson, he watched videos on engines for months but only got it when his dirt bike quit in the woods. Sometimes you just need the thing in your hands.
My dad tried to teach me wiring from a book when I was fifteen. I stared at the diagrams for hours and it was just lines on a page. Then our porch light shorted out and he made me trace the wires in the wall with my own hands, feeling for the break. That burnt plastic smell and the shock I got from a loose connection, THAT'S what finally made sense. You can't get that from a picture.
You're right about needing the thing in your hands. I read every manual for an old lathe I bought, but it all clicked when I messed up a cut and had to fix it myself. That direct problem is what makes it stick.