I'd never even heard of passive voice until my dad showed my first fanfic (a Star Trek fic which I wrote before I'd even heard of fanfiction) to his best friend. This friend of his writes for a living (technical writing, mostly), and mentioned that the story was good, "for an outline."
I didn't understand what he meant, so I had him tear it apart for me with suggestions and constructive criticisms, at which point he said that the story was riddled with passive voice structures.
It wasn't until a few years later that there was any mention of it in high school English--and even then, I think it was LATE high school.
For awhile, I was so paranoid about using passive voice that I avoided it whenever I knew I was doing it--changed it all to active voice. But now, I think I've got a good balance.
"You take turns, advise and protect one another, even heal or be healed when the going gets too tough. I know! That's not a game--that's friendship!" ~Shelly Mezzanoble,
Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girl's Guide to the Dungeons & Dragons Game Darcy\'s Place
