Each summer Middle Tennessee State University captures the enthusiasm of teachers and students in this cost-free academy, which offers quality professional development for teachers and a week of stimulating learning experiences for approximately 200 students in grades K-12. The university provides a meaningful summer experience for both teachers and students through a two-week Academy for Teachers of the Gifted. During the first week of the academy, teachers receive intensive instruction in the characteristics and needs of gifted students and teaching strategies for addressing those needs. These sessions create the foundation of understanding and prepare the teachers to hear keynote presenters who are national leaders in the field of gifted education. The second week of the academy consists of action labs where intellectually gifted students provide teachers a venue to implement the learning they acquired during week one. Teachers credit the gifted academy with being the best staff development they have ever experienced. By the end of the academy, teachers marveled at how much they enjoyed the close working relationships and how they had come to understand that student relationships are built when teachers act as "guides on the side," facilitating learning. Teachers value most highly the interaction with gifted students and the opportunity to network with professionals across the state while learning from eminent leaders in the field.