Understanding comes from experiencing something.

I think that’s a good way to look at the benefits of the wonderful exchange recently between local businesspeople and educators in the Renton School District.

I know I have come away with a deep appreciation of the hard work of the dedicated and passionate teachers, staff and principal at the Renton Academy, where students who need special services to succeed in school are receiving them.

The Renton Academy, unique in the state, has a new advocate.

There were similar experiences on both sides of the exchange, sponsored by the Renton Chamber of Commerce.

Here are some of the insights I brought away from the exchange’s debriefing last week at Renton High School. They are worth sharing. (I was taking notes; it’s tough to put down that pencil and notepad.)

About schools, students and teachers:

• Kids learn differently.

• There’s a lot that goes into teaching.

• The kids are excited to learn, including at the Renton School District’s alternative schools. And, they will help each other.

• The child is at the center of everything a school does.

• Kids are engaged in their learning.

• Teachers work really hard.

About doing business:

• Yes, you have to make cold calls.

• Not everything you need to know to succeed is written down in a book.

• It’s not cheap to start a new business.

• Those pesky medical tests? There’s a lab here in Renton that can do them for you. And they are inexpensive.

• Yes, McLendon is an iconic store and there are the cool places that the customer normally doesn’t get to see.

• Want your child to learn a foreign language, or at least a few words of, say, Korean? Try a marshal-arts studio.

• The Museum of Flight is phenomenal.

I could go on and on. It’s safe to say there are a bunch of folks in Renton now who have a much clearer understanding about what it takes to do business and to educate a child.