Funny enough, I never got in trouble for folding origami or doing crafts while in class. In fact, when I was "caught," my 6th grade teacher used to encourage it! He'd always want to have a look at them, too. I think I'm grateful for that. It made 6th grade a lot more fun.
After elementary school, though, I took a SUPER DUPER, DUPER, DUPER long break from origami and focused more on my studies to become a better student. :-P Now that I've graduated, I fold origami at work, HA! Some things never change, I guess. I can't remember a time when I wasn't really fascinated by origami, and just crafts in general.