grammar in elementary teachers

Since I was in elementary school I always saw teachers as omnipotent, unreachable impeccable human beings free from flaws. That is why when (to my dismay) I saw one of my teachers holding a cigarette during recess, that struck me like a lightning bolt, not that I have ever been struck by one but...you know what I mean, so for me it was like if an idol fell down from its pedestal.