Dr. Montessori recognized that the only impulse to learn is self-motivation. The teacher prepares the environment, introduces the activity and offers stimulation, but it is the child who learns and is motivated through work itself. Montessori children are "free" to learn because they have acquired inner discipline from their exposure to both physical and mental order. Patterns of concentration, stick-to-it-iveness and thoroughness, established in early childhood, produce a confident, competent learner in later years.