From Educational Foundations February 1909  F H Spinney Montreal Canada

It is possible to make school life so attractive that children will look upon going to school as one of the most delightful pleasures of childhood. This is no idle dream: it has been done.

We see and hear frequent discussion as to whether school work should all be made pleasant and attractive for the children. Those who support the negative side of the discussion base their arguments on the assumption that when the children go forth into life, they will be compelled to do many things  that are far from possessing the above qualifications.  They also claim that the development of the will and of a strong character demands that the children should perform many tasks not especially pleasant or attractive.

Although these arguments may appear, at first glance, to have some ground. I am not inclined to grant that much for either one.  For what do adult men and women labour? First for their own support and that of their family; after that, in order to accumulate something for a rainy day; or for the pleasure of enjoying some leisure time in later years.  There may be some other motive that they toil and strive, but no matter what it is, it is sufficient to give some attraction to the work, either directly, or for the sake of the reward it brings.  Will the work be done better, or more cheerfully, because these men and women were compelled to toil over tasks at school? I think not. I admit, in some respect, that it is the duty of parents to demand a certain amount of help from their children, even if such work is unpleasant; but a skilful parent will direct the matter in such a way that even that seemingly unpleasant work will be gladly undertaken by the children.
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I seek merely to dispose of the argument that children should have drudgery in school in order to fit them to do their work in later life. Further, I fail to see what effect unattractive work has on the will; especially as it is the will of another that is the real cause of the work being done.

I have seen no argument which proves that any portion of school work should assume the nature of drudgery; while innumerable reasons may be assigned why it should be made as intensely interesting as possible, especially in the child's first years.