The basic idea in the Montessori philosophy of education is that all children carry within themselves the person they will become. In order to develop physical, intellectual, and spiritual potential to the fullest, the child must have freedom: a freedom to be achieved through order and self-discipline. Dr. Montessori developed what she called the Prepared Environment, which already possesses a certain order and allows children to learn at their own speed, according to their own capacities and in a non-competitive atmosphere. If Montessori children are free to learn, it is because they have acquired an "inner discipline" from their exposure to both physical and mental order. Montessori introduces children to the joy of learning at an early age and provides a framework in which intellectual and social discipline goes hand-in-hand.