Dr. Maria Montessori believed that the only valid impulse to learning is the self-motivation and inner discipline of the child. Children move themselves toward learning. The teacher prepares the environment, guides the activity and offers the child stimulation. Ultimately, though, the child who learns is motivated through the work to persist in a given task, and not solely dependent upon the personality of the teacher or the instruction provided. Dr. Montessori believed that no human being is educated by another person. She must do it herself or it will never be done. A truly educated individual continues learning long after the hours and years spent in the classroom because she is motivated by a natural curiosity and love of knowledge. Dr. Maria Montessori felt the goal of early childhood education should not be to fill the child with facts from a pre-selected course of studies, but rather to cultivate a natural desire to learn.