I appreciate the sentiment same as you, but it is not quick to learn, because you'd either stop short or basically learn, well ... patterns, some for different usecases and categorize many different patterns that achieve the same, while the typical pupil has problems with simple arithmetic, calculus etc. already. So the question would be why the patterns aren't abstracted behind a nice composable gui [1]. Not to mention the confusion around the various ever so slightly differing applications.
Also, you don't wanna spoon feed students, they'll never learn to fish. You would indeed have to go as far as implementing a regex engine or implementing I don't know, a certain finite automate in regex. I'm kidding but all you could realistically achieve would be the usage of a catalogue like command-line-fu or stackexchange unless the whole thing fits in a broader cs syllabus/curriculum.
[1] lrovocative statement: sed and awk are breaking the "do one function and it well" idea of unix.
Also, you don't wanna spoon feed students, they'll never learn to fish. You would indeed have to go as far as implementing a regex engine or implementing I don't know, a certain finite automate in regex. I'm kidding but all you could realistically achieve would be the usage of a catalogue like command-line-fu or stackexchange unless the whole thing fits in a broader cs syllabus/curriculum.
[1] lrovocative statement: sed and awk are breaking the "do one function and it well" idea of unix.