good luck on flying lessons.
many years ago, terms like "air pocket" were in fashion. there are more modern terms and you will learn them. but even the wright brothers used the term "wind flurries" for something we know now as windshear.
planes can take quite a bit of turbulence before they fall apart in the sky...there are different levels of turbulence...light, moderate, severe, and extreme. in 30 years of flying I don't think I have ever hit extreme...for this is damaging to the plane. Severe means the plane is momentarily out of control...I might have come close to that once or twice.
pilots know to stay away from the producers of the really bad stuff...mainly thunderstorms...funny how God gives us lightning to scare us away from the really bad stuff...but there is also turbulence associated with wind going over huge mountains...called mountain wave...you will learn about that.
some advice on how to handle turbulence as a passenger or a pilot. SEAT BELTS must be fastened tightly enough to keep your rear end firmly in the seat. if it lifts up just a tiny bit, your brain sense negative gravity and your brain goes nuts and scares you. some less experience pilots who aren't strapped in firmly will even pull back on the controls to reestablish the normal feel of gravity and you can get into trouble doing this.
One time I did lose 3000feet, air speed fluctuations of 100 knots...but we kept it right side up...so it does happen, and you can survive.
I hope you will read a book called "weather flying" by a fantastic guy named robert buck (rip) a hero among airman. also read "stick and rudder" by langweische. ''fate is the hunter" by gann is good too.
so strap in extra tight at the first sign of turbulence and you should be ok. in small planes you will learn about maneuvering speed, Va. In big planes you will learn about rough air penetration speed. different things, but helpful to know.
happy landings