iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

It’s Box Day at the library and I’ve got a little astronaut (complete with Mae Jemison shirt!) It was wild to see her create and guide the process (with a lot of dad provided fine motor skills)

A picture of a cardboard rocket ship creation with fins and a door.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

I've completed "Printing Department" - Day 4 - Advent of Code 2025 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2025/day/4 My code is here: github.com/samleiterman... Its not the prettiest, but it got the job done! (I read the prompt incorrectly for a moment and was very confused.)

adventofcode.com

Day 4 - Advent of Code 2025

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

This morning I said to myself "Wouldn't it be funny if the AWS outage meant I couldn't submit grades?" Can confirm, its not particularly funny (don't get behind on your grading, kids!)

A screenshot of a Canvas outage due to AWS being down.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

Garden update, we’re thriving! Gotta make it through the heat wave over the next couple days🤞🏻

A collage of garden images with vegetable plants.

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Reposted by Sam Leitermann-Long

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 21/06/2025

"i asked chatgpt" yeah well i went to the doctor, i went to the mountains, i looked to the children, i drank from the fountains there's more than one answer to these questions pointing me in a crooked line and the less I seek my source for some definitive closer I am to fine

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

If there’s one thing I want educators to think about it’s that we are the people responsible for that work, just like we’re responsible for guiding young people to positive behavior in a wide variety of areas! If you’re not proactively engaging with that work, you’re setting students up for failure.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

Oh absolutely. The paper (and much of the commentary around it) actually spends a lot of time discussing the need for guardrails precisely because adolescents in particularly aren’t cognitively capable of understanding the distinction.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

As an educator who is thinking hard about how to help my students navigate AI, this paper feels essential: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... The TL;DR? Don’t offload your work to AI or you don’t gain appreciable skills or knowledge. If you use AI as a partner it enhances.

papers.ssrn.com

The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI

In an era of generative AI and ubiquitous digital tools, human memory faces a paradox: the more we offload knowledge to external aids, the less we exercise and

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

It’s an Academy community plot, so kind of? It’s been a long tradition among Deerfield faculty to garden in our South division and our farming neighbors help plow the plots.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

When I’m not doing math and education, I’m gardening! Here’s my 20’ x 40’ plot this year.

Pictures of a vegetable garden with a wire fence, tomato plants, and pumpkin plants.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

These two weeks have been filled with conversations about AI use and implementation, observation and coaching, and student leadership and have been incredibly impactful. I love the moments I get to spend actual time with my colleagues to think deeply about what is best for students!

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Hi @jedediyah.com! Would love to chat about data science, I’ve been doing curriculum work recently and am full of ideas! (My latest idea is about buying a personal weather station, hooking it to Wunderground, and doing a multi year project involving weather data at our location.)

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Reposted by Sam Leitermann-Long

LOWρUFO 🇺🇦🇵🇸🌍 @lowrhoufo.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

I found the most incredible graph on the other site

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Due to tariffs corn dogs are now a luxury item.

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Reposted by Sam Leitermann-Long

bug @cactus.dev · 04/03/2025

Top 10 Software Design Patterns (Ranked by Fuckability)

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

The best thing was after the whole thing happened, Brennan had to tell them that they actually needed them to be in their seats to fix it 😂

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

They’ve said they’re putting it on Dropout for sure! So you’ll be able to see how incredible it was :)

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

So there were technical issues that meant they needed to wait for some lighting changes, and Lou and Murph just decided to fill time by going full WWE.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

I went to The Gauntlet and the Garden to see Dimension 20 at Madison Square Garden and it was truly an incredible time! It had everything, Lou stone cold stunnering Murph, Brennan kissing Murph, more Murph stuff, it was a blast! #Dimension20

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

I actually think after looking at it you're 2/3 to get the valuable goat so you shouldn't switch!

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Someone sent me this problem the other day and I'm obsessed with the potential for variation here. What would you do? #ITeachMath

A image describing a modification to the Monty Hall Problem. It reads:

You are playing the Monty Hall problem. However, you secretly know one of the goats is the former pet of an eccentric billionaire who lost it and is willing to pay an enormous amount for its return, way more than the car is worth. You really want that goat.

"The host is unaware of this. After you pick your door, as is traditional, the host opens one door, which he knows doesn't have the car. He reveals a goat, which you can tell is the ordinary goat and not the secretly valuable one. The host offers to let you switch doors.

Should you?

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

Look at this crystalline structure! My kids noticed it on our walk today!

A picture of snowflakes on a grey background.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

The math here was fun, but so was figuring out how to print the files! I've completed "Restroom Redoubt" - Day 14 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/14

adventofcode.com

Day 14 - Advent of Code 2024

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

The more we learn, the more concerning this company becomes.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

I love when being a mathematician is just a cheat code. Easy day easy life. I just completed "Claw Contraption" - Day 13 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/13

adventofcode.com

Day 13 - Advent of Code 2024

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

I started off by being an idiot and then I think I was actually quite clever! I just completed "Plutonian Pebbles" - Day 11 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/11

adventofcode.com

Day 11 - Advent of Code 2024

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Do I use DFS in my daily life? No I do not. Am I glad I know how to do it? Yes I am. I've completed "Hoof It" - Day 10 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/10

adventofcode.com

Day 10 - Advent of Code 2024

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

This is what life looks like these days, cute kiddos and a beautiful place to live!

A picture featuring an overhead shot of the Deerfield Academy campus and three pictures of children.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

It’s all that I’ve been posting about, but I wanted to give a huge thanks to @was.tl who runs #adventofcode. I’ve had so much fun since 2019 playing along, and he does a ton of work! It’s been somewhat of a rough year and I hope you know you’re very appreciated!

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

I learned regex in Python and I’m obsessed!

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

Unsure why I found today so straightforward, but this is most definitely my best placement in a long time (partly because I’m usually not up this late) I've completed "Resonant Collinearity" - Day 8 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/8

adventofcode.com

Day 8 - Advent of Code 2024

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

Recursion makes me feel like an absolute genius. I just completed "Bridge Repair" - Day 7 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/7

adventofcode.com

Day 7 - Advent of Code 2024

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

I didn't use an elegant solution to Part 2, I just simulated all possible locations for the guard and checked for a loop. This is not a good solution, it did work tho! (It only took 8 seconds!) I've completed "Guard Gallivant" - Day 6 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/6

adventofcode.com

Day 6 - Advent of Code 2024

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Oh I absolutely could have, I just didn’t!

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Fun expansion of rules into a tree and then a little bit of brute force just for fun! I just completed "Print Queue" - Day 5 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/5

adventofcode.com

Day 5 - Advent of Code 2024

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

I should probably learn how numpy works? Instead I did this heinous figuring out of how to roll my own diagonals and anti-diagonals, which was not the most effective approach. I just completed "Ceres Search" - Day 4 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/4

A diagram showing a matrix and work determining the criteria for how to create diagonals and anti-diagonals in an array of arrays in python.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

My kiddo brought this home and I’m just incredibly interested in how it tastes but also it might murder my tastebuds. What do we think chat, to eat or not to eat?

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

I had to learn regex for this one, which honestly I should have done before anyways. I've completed "Mull It Over" - Day 3 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/3

adventofcode.com

Day 3 - Advent of Code 2024

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

I just completed "Red-Nosed Reports" - Day 2 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/2 I brute forced this one a little bit, there's a more elegant way to think about Part 2 (one where you don't just check all the conditions) but I do think my solution is fairly elegant.

adventofcode.com

Day 2 - Advent of Code 2024

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

This is the binomial theorem! A really nice starter example for branching into some combinatorics questions (and thinking about why combinations and polynomial expansions are related is a great tool for students to understand both topics on a deeper level.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

Every year I start this challenge, and every year I don't make it to the end. But, it improves my coding skills a little every year and that's a big deal! I've completed "Historian Hysteria" - Day 1 - Advent of Code 2024 #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com/2024/day/1

adventofcode.com

Day 1 - Advent of Code 2024

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Reposted by Sam Leitermann-Long

Robert "The Bobby Yaga" McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

"But I am very poorly today & very stupid & hate everybody & everything." Charles Darwin, whose “On the Origin of Species” was published #OTD in 1859, understood impostor syndrome and what it was like to have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. He also had abysmal penmanship.

A portion of a letter where Darwin has scratched out “But I am very poorly today & very stupid & hate everybody & everything.”

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Can’t highlight enough the “math that depends on what you’re teaching them”. A deep understanding of “why” we’re learning a specific topic, notation, method of visualization/communication, etc can help motivate mastery more than anything else.

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

On Thursday at 7pm I learned my buddy’s groomsman had dropped out for his Saturday wedding. Turns out I fit in the suit pretty well for it being someone else’s!

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Reposted by Sam Leitermann-Long

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 23/11/2024

D&D Combinatorics xkcd.com/3015

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

What good math problems could we create from this data? Seems like a rich place to start! #ITeachMath♾️

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Sam Leitermann-Long @mathmansam.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

My first published crossword is out today! Loved making this grid and looking forward to bigger and better aspirations!

A crossword grid in the Deerfield Scroll, a Deerfield Academy publication. The crossword is titled “Battle Cry.”

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